Origin of Draco
by JapanEyedPinoy
Summary: This is based on a character I made on PSO. An android has awoken under the care of an energetic newman and a cute android. Take a guess who they are. You won't know if you don't read, so check out my view of Pioneer 2 and Ragol.
1. Prelude

Okay! Here's the shpeel... I found so many errors in my first chapter and I can see why no one wants to read my story. It even gave me the heeby jeebies... Nyarg! So, I apologize for the egregious errors. And please, read and review, please? Please? Anyway, here's the prelude and I hope you enjoy. Ciao!

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_**Prelude**_

We've gone a long way, both technology and travel-wise. Since we left our home planet, nothing's been the same, especially since the incident on Ragol. An explosion occurred on the surface as Pioneer 2 and the Central Dome established a connection. Everything down there went silent and the people we cared for are lost or worse. As for the rest of us on Pioneer 2, we can either stand back and watch or do something about it. That's where the hunters and the military come in. Our purpose: to find any life on Ragol, while keeping the peace here on Pioneer 2. If we are to survive, we have to cooperate. After all, that's the main reason why we left our planet in the first place, right?

Well… this is my story… the origin of Draco.

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_**Thank you to my reviewers!**_

AsperaAngeYukito

Lilikoifish


	2. Day 1: Awaken

Hey y'all! Chapter 1 of _The Origin of Draco_ is here! I guess this is a good time to make my disclaimer, huh? Well...

**Disclaimer:**

I wrote this the way I picture Phantasy Star Online to be like if it were real (from my point of view that is). Then again, I kinda bent a few rules so sorry 'bout that.

Anyway, enough chat. Read on!

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_**Day 1: Awaken**_

_I look around and I see many people. Apparently, they know who I am because they're congratulating me, extending their hands of gratitude.Who are these people? Where am I? The scene changes and all I see now is pitch black. I'm screaming for help and trying with all my might to get out. I'm in a crate. I cry for help and still no answer. Then, as quick as I was engulfed in the shadows, all I see is a bright white light._

Suddenly, I'm awake. I'm looking around and I see a pink female android and a male newman. The room we're in has tools that you see when you're fixing androids. My vision is distorted a little, but it gradually got better while I looked around.

"He is operational, Doctor," says the pink android. Her outer shell is stained dead crimson.

"Ha ha! Success!" says the excited newman. He's wearing goggles and a baggy hat that amazingly stays on. He also is stained red. I guess he's overjoyed because he's smiling so broadly.

"That is how it appears. Do you want to run the tests now, Doctor?"

"Nah. It's late. I want to get some sleep before the excitement. For now, we'll see if everything is set for tomorrow." I sat up and I felt a slight pain everywhere. "Oh! Not so fast. You'll strain yourself. Your motor skills aren't refined yet so I suggest you slow it down a bit until we reprogram you. Anyway, allow me to introduce myself. I am Professor Jean Carlo Montague." He held out his hand for a handshake then pulled it back before I shook it. I looked at him in confusion. "What? Don't look at me like that. I'm not being rude, just cautious. You probably don't know your own strength just yet. It'll take you a while to get used to that body. Anyway, my lovely assistant here is Elenor Camuel." She stood her ground and waved shyly. "Oh, come here. Don't be shy! You've been with him for five years after all, so why are you shy now?" She reluctantly obeyed and drew closer very slowly. "There we go. Say hi!"

"Hello. I am Elenor Camuel." She says while giving me a slight bow and a nervous smile. I bow back.

The sight of her made me forget about my condition and I almost immediately jumped off the operating table I sat on to introduce myself. But, I don't even know my name. I stayed seated and tried to introduce myself. Despite all the red on her shell, she looks really pretty. The plating design on her head makes it look like pink hair, her "skin" is as white as snow, and her waist plating resembles a pink skirt. Her size isn't big, but nonetheless cute.

"Hello, Elenor. I'm… uh… who am I?"

Then the doctor says, "We decided that if you didn't remember your name when we activated you, we'll call you Draco. I'm sorry we couldn't come up with a better name, but if you ask me, it suits you quite well. However, you don't have to keep the name when you find your real name." What does he mean by "real name"? "And again, I'm sorry for not finding you a better name."

"No, it's okay. I like it. By the way, where am I?"

"You are in my personal lab, AKA my humble home. As you should know, we're aboard an interstellar transport ship called Pioneer 2. So, do you want to see your new body, Draco?" What does he mean by "new body"? Anyway, I agreed to look at my body and he pointed out a mirror that stood at the other side of the room.

I slowly got off the operating table and stumbled. Someone got a hold on my right arm and supported me. I looked to my right and saw Elenor. She gave me a cute smile and helped me across the room to the mirror. I have an extremely dark bluish-purple hue to my plating and glowing and yellow eyes that make me look very intimidating.

I looked at it and somehow I knew that something happened to my other body.

"What did you mean by 'new body', Doc?" I asked.

He just yawned and said, "I'll tell you when you're ready. Elenor, please show Draco how to maintain his energy. Oh! And, take care of the mess. I'm going to sleep."

"Y—yes, Doctor. Sleep well."

I didn't like his hasty retreat. I demand to know what happened to me.

I'm now alone with Elenor and I think she's still shy. When we made eye contact, she abruptly let go of me, nearly throwing me off balance, and turned away to clean the operating room. After a long, uncomfortable silence, I finally asked her how to maintain my energy. Basically, I maintain it just by being in the open air. However, if I do extensive movements, I use more energy and I will grow tired. If I ever get into the situation where I exhaust most of my energy, I can pull out a cord that's installed in my chest and plug it into a power outlet in a wall. The approximate charge time to maximum capacity is six hours if I'm in sleep mode. It'll take longer if I don't switch. Also, the outer shell doubles as solar panels and it charges for twelve hours in the brightest of days. Again, I have to switch to sleep mode otherwise it will take longer and I have to make sure that it's not cloudy or dark. Basically, it's unlikely I'll run out, unless I'm in a cave or underwater.

I scanned my energy and it says I'm running low. I asked Elenor where I could charge up. She said in her room, which is to the right and it's the room furthest away on the left. I thought it's not too far so I wobbled out of there and left to her room. What stopped me is how long the hallway was and how many doors I see. I was about to turn to ask Elenor if she is serious, but she already told me with a laugh before I did. Continuing forward, I glanced over my shoulder. She looks so lonely and I wondered if she does this everyday. I can help her, but she's still shy with me. Maybe when we're a little more acquainted. I thought to myself, "But this is the perfect time to get to know her."

"Is there something wrong?" She caught me pausing by the door.

"Uh… no. It's okay." I want to help her clean the room, but something inside me is telling me otherwise. Why can't I—

"Are you sure you don't need help?" Apparently, I still haven't moved, but this time I absentmindedly stared at her.

"Umm… actually, I should be asking you that," I said as I turned. "Need help?"

"No, it is okay, I am fine. I—I appreciate the offer, Draco, but really, I am fine by myself."

I'm not about to give up and kept insisting that I help and she finally gave in.

"Since I'm staying here for a while, I might as well pitch in with the housework. I'm sure you'd like some company." I wobbled towards some equipment that are lying on a counter.

"Yes, but it is a bit awkward. I am usually alone when I clean," she says while restraining herself from laughing at me.

So androids can feel emotions. I wonder if they can cry. Then again, why am I wondering about this? I'm an android too, aren't I? Then, it all comes down to what Doc is trying to dodge. Is there something behind my past that's so disturbing? Whatever it is, I have to know, but right now, I want to talk to Elenor. I think she needs it.

"Does, Doc ever help you?" I asked as I wobbled to a drawer that seems to fit the same descriptions of the tools I carried.

"Sometimes." She's beginning to loosen up a little. "He constantly works so he does not have enough time to help me, but lately, we have been going together in quests."

"What does Doc do?"

"He is a genius scientist. He is one of the people who found the designs to make us and is involved in the MOTHER project." I've heard of that project, but I can't remember the details exactly. I'll come back to that later. "It is why he is so rich and famous. Most people like him because he is so nice. But, there are jealous people who try to kill him. Fortunately, they fail. No one can match up to his intellect. Anyway, he gets extremely exhausted when he finishes whatever he is doing. Sometimes, he develops an insomnia and goes on without sleep."

"Wow! Really?"

"Yes, and when he falls asleep, I carry him to bed, but he always comes back after I bring him there. He has gotten the least sleep when working on you. So far, it is his record."

"Wow… I am impressed. I like how he's dedicated to his work."

"Oh, no. He would not call this work. It is more like a hobby to him."

"WHAT?"

Then she laughs. "I _know_! Although I have worked with him for so long, I am still surprised about the things he does. The length of his insomnia depends on how passionate he is with his project. He must be very proud of you."

"Then if that's the case, I should live up to his dream."

Something bothered me again. "_He must be very proud of you._" It's not like it's the first time he's made an android. So, what _is_ he proud of?

"Elenor, something doesn't feel right."

"Of course! It is your first few moments of life. You should not be feeling right."

"No, it's not that. There are things that don't sound right."

"Like what, Draco? I do not understand."

"Why is he proud of me?"

"Because you are his best project."

"I know that, but why?"

"I do not understand."

"He's been creating androids for a long time and why should he be proud of me? I know I'm something different, Elenor. So, what's the truth?"

"I cannot say. It is up to Doctor." She's beginning to clean faster. I think she's trying to evade the question too!

"Tell me what happened to me, now! I don't have the patience for this game!"

"I cannot say, Draco! Please understand." Then, I cornered her. She looked into my eyes and she looks like she is going to cry. "P—please understand, Draco! I—I cannot t—tell you about your past. It is for Doctor to decide."

Something came out of her eyes. Tears? So, androids can cry. I'm still skeptical about the emotions though. Are they based on pure inner feelings, or are they based on program? Who knows? If that's the case, can they feel love?

I was about to apologize when Elenor stormed out of the room. I just stood there stupefied. At least I had the chance to talk to her, but that was short lived. I feel bad for treating her this way and I _have_ to apologize to her. One reason is to get her comfortable with me if we are going to work together, whatever these two are involved in. Another is how am I going to get in her room to charge? It's extremely late to catch some sunlight and I'm very vulnerable in my state. I got to do something, because I can already feel my energy leaving me.

I staggered after her and used the walls to support me. I pushed the open button on one of the doors. In my bad state, I fell in one of the rooms. I struggled to stand up and I quickly, but carefully, left the room. I closed the door behind me and staggered away. I barely made it to Elenor's room. I knocked on her door weakly.

"Elenor!" No reply. I tried again with all my might, but still no answer, "Look, Elenor. I'm so sorry for acting this way. Please! I'm seriously sorry." Still no answer, but kept trying, "If you come out, I promise I'll never ask the question until Doc says I'm ready. Please, Elenor. Trust me! I never want to see you hurt this way! Please! I'm sorry." I kept trying to talk her into opening the door. "When you feel hurt, I feel hurt. C'mon! Please…. I'm sorry, Elenor." I was getting ready to give up when she finally opened the door.

"I know you are sorry." She sounds very sincere. "If I were in your situation I would act the same way too. I may be too sensitive."

"No, you're not. It's my fault for making you feel uncomfortable. Please forgive me."

After a slight pause she said closely to a whisper, "I forgive you."

All is well again, supposedly. She looks so cute when she's sad, however, the pain when I see her that way feels like a blade piercing my heart.

"Uh… could I come in?"

"Oh! I am terribly sorry. You must be almost drained by now, you poor thing."

She sounded happy. At that, I feel a certain relief.

Before I switched to sleep mode, I put my hand on my chest. I don't know why. Something there is missing.

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Okay folks! I forgot one more thing. I know Elenor doesn't actually talk like that in the game, but I want to give her the androidish "accent". (Apparently I didn't know how to put it. Nyah...) So she doesn't say didn't or you're. She says did not, you are, and whatnot. Yeah... Anyway, catch y'all on the flip side. On to chapter 2!Coming to a 'puter near you. 


	3. Day 2: Embrace

Hey y'all! It's Chapter 2! Yay! It's been a while and I'm not really sure it's refined well enough yet. Sorry folks for the egregious errors.

**_Disclaimer_**

I do not own PSO whatsoever. Sega, Nintendo, and all those good stuff does! Keep it straight! Anyway, the only thing I own is the game I bought from Target and the character I made, Draco!

So, hah! You can't hold anything against meh! Well, maybe a foot-long knife. Heh heh... Don't kill me just yet! I have a story to write! And to my _FIRST_ reviewer ever, thank you, Lilikoifish. Keep tuning in, good buddy. Anyway, on to Chapter 2!

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**_Day 2: Embrace_**

"_Now you be good to your aunt now, okay boys?"_

"_Okay, Mama."_

"_And Roland?"_

"_Yes, Ma?"_

"_Keep those two out of trouble."_

"'_Kay."_

"_Time to go, Hon!"_

"_Do we have everything?"_

"_I think so. Oh my! Look at the time Mei!"_

"_Wow! We're late! We better hurry, Xander!"_

_Who are they?_

"Rise and shine my newest creation!"

I started up with a jolt. Is Doc always this excited in the morning?

"Don't do that again!"

"Ooh! Sorry to startle you," he grinned, "So Draco, are you ready?"

"Ready for what?" I groaned as I unplugged myself.

"Your tests, of course."

"Oh! I guess I am. What are they like?"

"You'll see."

We walked down the long corridor and I wondered what are behind all the doors. To heighten my curiosity, I also wondered what those visions meant. Could they be visions of the future? Or could it be a vision meant for someone else? Who knows?

Dr. Montague interrupted my thoughts, "Here we are!" On the door is a sign that read _Simulation Terminal_.

"Where is Elenor?" I asked and wondered if she is still okay from last night. She seemed cheerful enough before I switched to sleep mode last night.

"She's inside, training," still wearing the odd, ear-to-ear smile.

"Training?" I asked. I was a little skeptical about Elenor needing training. Shouldn't they be able to download the data and use the new skills from there?

"Oh, yes. Although she's a robot, she still needs to refine her skills. As for you, I'm assuming you haven't done any training in the combat department, have you?"

"N—no I haven't." The idea of fighting scares me.

"Of course not," he said as he opened the door. "Anyway, come in and don't worry about a thing. Elenor and I will set you up with the basics, then you should be able to execute them automatically on your own."

I wobbled in through the door. My motor skills aren't that great yet. How am I going to do these tests in this condition?

"I know what you're thinking," he said as I staggered towards them, "How on Pioneer 2 are we going to test you in your condition and why shouldn't we just download the combat data off the computer?"

"Exactly! But, how'd you know?"

"One, you can barely move since you got off the operating table. Knowing me, I'd be thinking about the same thing. Also, I noticed you froze for a while as if deep in thought when I mentioned that Elenor was training here." This guy is very observant.

"So, why not download the data?"

"There are just some things that computers can't teach androids. Sure, computers have the 'ultimate' programs and functions, which make it seem 'perfect,' but you won't know how to use it in a real life situation effectively. I feel sorry for androids who have poor owners who don't see that. Experiencing the situations yourself allows you to learn how, where, and when to move based on your judgment and not just your program. That, I think, is the ultimate program and that's what brought up the idea of making this room. Few people come to me to make them a room like this one. Why only a few? I don't know. Maybe I should lower the price or something. Anyway, I think more people should get rooms like this. It's good for everyone. Now, what we'll do first is download the data you need so you can move better, then we'll put you through the tests." We entered when Elenor finished her training. "Oh! Done, I see."

"Yes, Doctor. The statistics are left in the computer if you want to see my progress. Draco." Elenor said, sounding unscathed from last night's incident, "Over here please. Now, sit down here while I plug you in." I casually sat down on a chair to my left. "You will feel a sharp, excruciating pain, but that will last for only two hours after I'm done." I thought I heard someone snort.

"WHAT?" I shouted. I began to cry out absurdities when Elenor stuck the jack in my back and I blacked out for a moment.

I awoke in an odd place. I looked down and apparently I'm floating. Where am I? All I see are zeros and ones floating around and interchanging from one number to another. I might be jacked into the computer and all these zeros and ones are informational codes. I floated around for a few minutes when I realized that I'm not in pain. Did she just trick me?

"There we go," she said with a giggle when I regained consciousness.

"Damn it! Don't do that to me!"

"I had to get you back from last night."

"I hate being played with here!" Both Dr. Montague and Elenor started to laugh. "Damn it! I'm serious!"

"I'm sorry. It's not everyday I get to laugh like this," Doc said with a chuckle as he unplugged me, "Anyway, back to business. Draco, please enter the warp pad you see before you." He pointed to the door, which had a sign on it that said _Simulation Deck _and through it is a warp pad. To the left, a big computer with a bunch of buttons and knobs is set up in front of a huge monitor. Above them are a few more smaller ones. "Go through there and it'll transport you to the second floor."

"There's a second floor?"

"Yeah. I modified this house so that the whole second floor is made for the simulation deck."

Wow. I can imagine how big this house is, but a second floor made for simulation purposes only? I wonder how big this room is.

I rose from the seat, began to walk towards the pad, and paused in astonishment. I noticed that my movements have gotten better.

"What's wrong?" he asked with concern, "You should be better now that we downloaded the data."

"Don't worry. I'm fine."

I started to walk towards the pad again, relieved at how smooth I move now. I transported onto the simulation deck. The walls and ceilings have glowing gridlines of all sizes all over it, which never stayed in one place, and I stood in the middle of it. The warp pad going back is bigger than it's supposed to be. I wonder why? I tried to make out what color the gridlines are, but couldn't. It had an odd glow. It seems white from afar, but if you get a closer look, it's not. Amazing!

"Okay, Draco! Are you still on the warp pad?" Doc asked through the intercom.

"Yes I am," I replied while still in awe at how big this room, floor, or whatever this place is, "but, why is it so big? Uh… the warp pad, I mean."

"The warp pad is that size in case things get out of hand, so it's easier to spot. Come back there if you think you can't handle what I throw at you. The gridlines are actually obstacle creators. These are the landscapes, the people, and etcetera. They can also make even the smallest thing you can think of. In other words, cells."

"Wow!"

"I know! So, are you ready?"

"I guess."

"So, ready or not, here I come."

I stood on the pad, surrounded by the eerie gridlines for a while and then the whole room disappears for an instant. Floors began to form, followed by walls, and then a ceiling. The floor has a white and squishy sparring mat with a decent-sized fighting circle that had two black starting marks on it. I was behind one mark. I'm going to fight? Here? Now? And who? I felt uneasy at the thought. I looked around some more; there are pillars that hold up the ceiling, which has a window on it, revealing the fake, sunny sky.

"Okay, Draco!" Dr. Montague called out on the intercom, "In the simulation room, anything can happen, but don't worry! I won't throw anything harsh at you just yet." _Yet?_ "First, we'll have a rundown on the basics." After that announcement, a male human figure materialized in front of me and wore what looked like the attire that people in those martial arts movies.

"I don't suppose you'll download the data in me so I don't have to go through this," I pleaded dully.

"Don't worry. Anyhow, you'll need to learn to defend yourself one way or another. We want you to come with us to our missions on Ragol."

"What is a Ragol?"

"It's the planet we're planning to land on. Unfortunately, a horrible accident occurred on the face of the planet and it's up to us to scale it and report back. Currently, we're orbiting the planet. But first, we do this. Just copy his movements. Then, I'll decide what to do from there." Please no fighting! Please no fighting!

The figure motioned me to stand next to him. I hesitated to approach him, but then he just decided to stand by me instead. I flinched as he walked forward and around to my right. Then, the figure stood at a stance with the left foot forward and signaled me to do the same. I mimicked him and he told me to stay there with the same, wordless hand signs. After that, the figure came over and stood behind me and held my arms. We did a few punches and blocks, and then moved on to the feet movements. He showed me a few kicks by grabbing my legs, uncomfortably by the way, and moving them the way they supposed to. Then we repeated the same with the other foot forward. Afterwards, he walked in front with his back facing me. He told me to copy him again. I emulated him doing spin kicks, leg sweeps, and other kinds of self-defense exercises. I'm just surprised that I executed these moves perfectly, so to speak. For hours, we worked on defending and attacking. Just as I was getting into the moves passionately, the figure began to _really _attack me. I could tell because he finally landed a hard punch to my chest. I'd continue to do my thing and it would hit me every time. Gradually, the attacks grew aggressive and now I have to move quickly to evade his assault. I began to panic slightly, but I still continued parrying and blocking.

"What the heck is going on here, Doc?" I demanded while I continued to evade the so-called friendly figure.

"Sorry! I just want to know how you react. To tell you the truth, you're really good for a pers—uh… android who doesn't know how to fight. I'm truly amazed."

"It can't take all the credit," I said as I continually dodged and blocked every attack. Despite all this, I'm enjoying this.

"Oh, I don't think so. All we downloaded into you was the motor skills program. The real test is how you'd react to your new body. _Shoot! I shouldn't have said that_."

"Huh? What's that?" I asked, still immersed in the fray.

"Oh! Uh… um… I said don't keep trying to dodge his attacks. At least try to land a few blows."

"Okay!" I ducked the next attack and retaliated with a leg sweep, tripping him. I sprung up with another attempt to strike before he hit the ground, but he quickly shifted his weight aside and managed to spin around, chopping me in the back of my neck. Instead of cowering in fear, I began to feel exhilarated and pounced at him again. I'm enjoying this so much! He made an effort to work my midsection, but failed. I blocked a few of his attacks and rolled aside and swept him once more. Again, it succeeded and I suspected that he'd shift his weight again, so I kicked him up from the predicted direction and managed to send him airborne. I jumped with him and slammed him back down with my leg with a crash. The figure let out an inaudible cry of pain.

"Good," Dr. Montague said as he turned off the simulation system. All that remained was the figure. He struggled to get up and bowed to me. I did likewise and he disappeared leaving behind the eerie gridlines. "Very good! I'm proud to be your creator. I _am _tremendously impressed with your progress. To tell you the truth, I expected you to lose."

"Uh… thanks. I guess."

"Draco!" Elenor warped to me excitedly and gave me a hug, "Congratulations! You are spectacular. However, you could build up a little strategy when you fought the simulant. Then you could be one of the best hand-in-hand fighters out there."

"Oh, come on!" I retorted, "I still K.O.'ed the guy."

"Yes, you did! Then again, charging into combat without a strategy is not the best idea. You were lucky that we were going a bit soft on you."

"How soft are we talking about exactly?" I asked irritated.

"On a scale from one to ten, ten being the highest, an eight." Wow! I'm that good? Then again… I'm an android. What can I say? I make us look good. Hee hee…

"Oh, wow! I can't wait to take on a full ten fighter," I said eagerly. "I'm unstoppable! Yah ha ha!"

"Oh really?" she challenged, "Right here, right now."

"What?"

"You heard me. Fight me right here, right now."

"You can't be serious! There's no way I can hurt you. I made a promise! Of all people… why pull off a stunt like this? Okay, I get the point. Never hurt you."

"Not exactly. I'm trying to prove a point."

"What? That I shouldn't mess with you?"

"No. It is to show you that there will be times when you cannot fight someone because of a certain factor. There might be a time when a person you really care about could hurt you. Or even worse! So, what will you do, then? Let that person kill you?"

I paused for a moment then said close to a whisper, "I—I'd… fight back."

"Exactly! That is… how it works as a hunter." That's happened to her? She says it so vividly. I can't imagine it happening to her. "So now, get ready and I am not going to hold back!" she said as she put herself in the ready position.

"Fine! Show me what you got. How 'bout we make it a little exciting and put a wager here?" I said as I got into my fighting stance.

"Okay! The loser cleans the whole house for a month."

"What? You can't be serious! Do you know how big this place is?"

"Of course I do. I clean this place all the time. Remember?"

"Oh… yeah… right. Best three out of five."

She giggles and says, "Okay. Let us begin."

This can't be happening! This is not what I meant by "getting to know her". I noticed that Dr. Montague hasn't talked through the intercom the whole time this was going on. He must have left the room to leave us alone. At least, I hope he did. Before we began our fight, I put my hand on my chest again. What are these unintentional movements trying to tell me?

We fought the night away.

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SUPAH SPICY! Well, no... not really. Ha ha ha! Lately, it's hard to type freely when I have things like work and school in the way. Then, I lose the inspiration and I have to wait another few months to gain that inspiration again. Gah... Oh well... Anyway, catch y'all on the flip side! On to chapter 3! If I'll ever get to it... 


	4. Day 3: Optimism

And so it's Day 3 for Draco. Anyway, why isn't anyone else reading my fanfic? I appreciate you Lilikoifish for reading my story. Well yeah, is there anything wrong with my title, the summary, or the story itself? I need help here! Maybe it's because I'm not advertising it enough. Gah...

**_Disclaimer_**

I do not own Phantasy Star Online whatsoever. Sega, Nintendo, and all those good companies do. However, I hope I become part of their family someday. Yush yush! Supah awesome video game programmer/designer JapanEyedPinoy.

Anyway, on to day 3!

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**_Day 3: Optimism_**

"_Wow! This place is beautiful."_

"_Eh? Whatever."_

"_The nature, the fresh air. I wish we came here sooner."_

"_You pansy! Snap out of it! Remember our mission?"_

"_Yeah, yeah."_

_What mission? What's going on?_

"RISE AND SHINE, DRACO!"

"GAAAAAHHH! I told you to never do that!" I shouted with a start once again.

"Oh! I'm sorry," Doc said apologetically.

"Sure..." I glared.

"Truly! I am! I'm just excited to see how you'll fare with my next set of tests."

"Keep up the morning rituals and see if I survive before your tests," I replied with irritation. Nevertheless, I'm still stoked for the next round of fights.

"But before we begin, I did notice you enjoyed the fight simulations yesterday. Since that's the case, we'll put that off a little later for today."

"AW! Why?"

"Remember?"

"Oh. Yeah… Please don't remind me."

"Don't worry! Look at it this way: it's a treat for all the hard work you've done. That is, if you've done an adequate job with the chores."

"Ugh… okaaaaay… Where do I start?"

"You can start by cleaning all the rooms in this house."

"You can't be serious!"

"Well, Elenor doesn't have a problem with it."

"Oh. Yeah. Right. Ugh… okay, where do I get the equipment?"

"It's down the hallway and the fourth door on your left. It should say_ cleaning equipment_ on the door."

I dragged my feet down the long hallway to the cleaning equipment room. I could've won if I wanted to. It's that I could never hit Elenor. Why did she have to do something like that? To get out of doing chores? Payback for the two nights before?

"Hi, Draco!" It's Elenor.

"Oh. Elenor. Hi," I greeted dully.

"Need help with that?"

"No thank you," but she kept insisting. Eventually, I gave in. I know where this is going. "I appreciate the help, Elenor, but really, I'm fine by myself."

"No, it is okay. Since you are staying here for a while, I might as well pitch in with the housework. I'm sure you would like some company." Then she imitated me a couple of nights ago. We had a few laughs, but then I had to get serious with the cleaning. If I'm ever going to finish cleaning the whole lab on time, I have to work double hard.

"You know, you don't have to help me. You won the duel, remember?"

"I know. But I just thought you need help, considering how big this place is."

"Fine, do what you want, but make sure you don't slow me down. I wanna spar soon."

"Okay. You take the left rooms while I take the right."

"Sounds good, but let's not make a race out of it and the loser does something. I'm already in a bound as it is."

"Okay. But then again, you brought up the idea," she replied with a chuckle.

"Oh. Yeah…" I walked all the way to the other end of the hallway with the cleaning equipment. At least I get a chance to explore this place. Which reminds me, I wonder what is with my visions?

The sign, on the first door I went to, read _Office_. I opened the door, entered the dark room, and shut the door behind me. I wasn't prepared for what I was going to see next. I switched on the light and I saw an enormous room filled with what looked like shelves of books. I didn't know books still existed. Most data and stories are stored in disks. In the center of the half-circle of shelves full of books is Dr. Montague's desk. I walked towards the huge library in awe then realized that I'm going to clean this big room. I hope all the other rooms aren't like this.

I was halfway done mopping the floor when Elenor came in.

"I'm done! Draco? What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?"

"You know, there's a switch in every room that releases the cleaning bots."

You… can't… be… serious…

"Wha—why—ugh… OOOOH! Why didn't you tell me?"

"I thought you knew."

"Really…?"

"Truly! I did!"

"Then why did Dr. Mo— Dr. Montague!" I began to fume.

"It seems that the doctor has a sense of humor after all."

"Grr!"

"It is a pain to watch these little guys. At first, they look cute running around cleaning. Then, they get annoying."

"Ugh… okay… show me where the switch is." She pushed a button by the door. "Oh. Thanks." Little robots entered through little openings on the walls. Everywhere you see, cleaning bots. They cleaned the ceilings, the floor, and even the shelves. The bots handled the books with lots of care, which is a good thing considering they are now obsolete and irreplaceable. Who knows what the doctor would do if any of them are destroyed?

"Are you wondering why we have to watch them?" she asked.

"Now that you mention it, yeah."

"Wait for a moment. Something is bound to happen."

What she meant by that, I soon found out. One of the bots hovered over to an unclean portion of the room, but another came out of nowhere and cleaned it before it did. Apparently, it got angry because it reared to bump the one that took its spot. Bot 1, the mad one, started to bump Bot 2 furiously in the back. Bot 2 turned around and attempted to grab Bot 1 with its claws, but it backed up so it missed. All the other bots stopped their work and watched the two of them fight. Bot 1 reared up again for another bump, but Bot 2 charged after it at full speed and caught Bot 1. It picked it up and smashed it repeatedly on the floor, sending pieces flying everywhere. The winner is Bot 2! After that, all the bots continued cleaning. Bot 1's remains were swept away.

"That is nothing. Just wait until all of them get involved in the tangle," she said with disgust. "It is also why we need the cleaning equipment. It is a back up in case all the cleaning bots in a room are destroyed. Now, robots have a mind of their own, which is why we can't program them to work without emotion easily. They found it efficient to give us robots a mind of our own; move in our own will, if we want to."

"Oh, I see. So, we should be thankful that humans gave us that trait. I bet they went a long way to get here.

"Yes, they did."

"Mmm-hmm… Anyway, why didn't you release the bots in the room you activated me in?

"Take a good guess what happened."

"Oh. I see. So, there's no way to stop them if they all fight each other?"

"Actually, there is. Just press and hold the button I pushed by the door and all the bots should stop moving after a few seconds. After that, release the button and the bots should reboot their systems."

"Easy as that, eh?"

"Easy as that. But, it does not guarantee that they will not fight again."

"But, why didn't it work in the room?"

"It was my fault. Doctor needed me and I forgot to order them to stop cleaning."

"And between then and when you got back, they got into a brawl."

"Precisely."

"Anyway, thanks for showing me how to clean, but I wish you told me about this sooner." The bots already finished cleaning and returned to their little hole. Now for the next room!

"I will see you later, Draco," she said as we exited the room. "I have to see Dr. Montague."

"Okay. But please, no more schemes…" I sighed.

"Understood," she replied with a laugh. "Also, you need a password for the armory. Since I am sharing this info with you, it means that we trust you. Although we only knew each other for a short time, it seems that you are trustworthy enough."

"Oh. Thanks… I guess."

"The password is 216-1215-207."

"216-1215-207. Got it!"

I went one way; she went the other. I turned around to watch her as she disappeared through a warp pad. I wonder what is out there. I haven't left the house since I awoke. Oh well… I'll get the chance to see what's out there soon. But first, clean.

Next is the armory. What was the password again? 216-1215-207. There we go! The door opened and I am, again, not ready for what I am going to see. This guy is rich! Doc has every single weapon and armor imagined. Has he used all of these? Or is it more of a collection? Most likely, he never used some of these and he seems the kind who would use his technique powers (TP) rather than brute strength.

I heard that you have to focus your energy to any limb on your body then cry out a single word in order to use TP. Depending on the word, a certain attack will come out of the selected limb. Of course, you could use only that limb if you wanted to, otherwise use another one. It depends on the situation. Also, depending on the will of the user, that's how strong the technique will be. Some can say it as close as a whisper, but with passion and the results will still be just as devastating as how some would say it aloud. Anyone, except us androids, can use TP. Force classes have the ability to expand their TP, stronger than the Hunter and Ranger classes, however, it's rumored that there's someone out there who's skilled enough to be any one of them and they don't even have to say the technique. I envy that person; let alone, all humans and newmen. But there's one thing that's bugging me after thinking of all this, how is it that I know these things? Anyhow, I need to get to work. My appointment awaits me.

I pressed the button and out came the bots again; hovering noises, whirring, and buzzing. The button felt a little odd. Oh well.

I stood by the door and watched the cleaning bots do their thing and hoped that none of them decide to start a free-for-all. Again, two start to fight. One of the sanitizer bots sprayed a vacuum bot by accident and, of course, the vacuum bot got mad and chased the sanitizer bot all over the place. The sanitizer bot bumped into a claw bot and the claw bot ends up mixing in the tangle. After that, a huge chain reaction! All the bots ended up fighting. Pieces are flying everywhere. I ran to the button to reboot the bots and do you think that's all? NOPE! All the bots didn't respond to the command and kept on fighting. I tried over and over again, but still no answer.

"CRAP! WHY WON'T YOU GUYS STOP!" I yelled in horror. I got to do something, but what? Then, few of the bots thought they'd want to bring the fight outside.

"Oh, no you don't!" I ran in front of the door to prevent them from leaving the room. Unfortunately, that didn't work. They just hovered under me and continued their battle outside. "Damn… THAT'S IT! YOU GUYS ARE ASKING FOR IT!"

I grabbed a buster and activated it. All the bots, including the ones outside, turned their attentions towards me. I know this won't end well. After a short stand off, they all charged at me. I swiped a few of them with the buster I picked up, then they all got organized and charged in groups. It's hard to kill these little devils because they're so small and I have to bend over to exterminate them. One of them jumped at me and attempted to grab my face with its tiny suction. I ducked in time and it crashed into the wall with a suck, but that was just a mere distraction because another bot managed to clamp onto my legs with its claws and it hurts like hell!

"ARGH! You… guys… are… _DEAD_!"

Then I thrashed all over the place, knocking bots and shelved merchandise all over the floor. A bolt of light zipped passed my head. What the hell is that? Oh shoot… One of the sanitizer bots has a handgun in its little trigger and shot at me, at the same time spraying sanitizer fluid at me. Mmm… Lemony fresh…

"This _seriously_ won't end well," I said to myself in dismay.

I ran all over the large armory trying to destroy every single cleaning bot while trying to shake off the dangerous bot with the gun. In the end, all that's left is the dangerous sanitizer bot. I slipped on some sanitizing fluid and dropped my buster. Yup! I'm screwed! It drew closer and I crawled backwards in fear. This is the worst way to go. Too bad Elenor and Dr. Montague aren't here to help me. There is one chance to get away from this situation: pick up something and throw it at the evil bot. I looked around frantically and found a piece of a cleaning bot. It's hard to tell what kind it is. I picked it up and chucked it at the bot with all my might. Did I get it? Did I get it? Unfortunately, I missed. I felt for something on my chest, but there isn't anything again. A shot fired.

"ARGH!"

"Lucky we came by." It's Dr. Montague! He shot the bot with a gun that has a suppressor and in his other hand is a staff that has a fan-looking tip. He looked somewhat like a priest with goggles.

"Just in time, too!" I gasped in a great relief.

"HA HA HA HA! Getting overrun by a little cleaning bot!"

"I would like to see how you'd handle it," I retorted.

"Ha ha ha… Phew! Anyway, we had to come back for two reasons. We had difficulties with our quest and Elenor forgot to tell you that the reboot command for this room doesn't work too well. There's a specific way to push it."

I heaved a sigh, "Elenor… I told you, no more schemes."

"I did not mean to put you through such a predicament this time," she replied sincerely.

"'This time?'"

"Yes," she said with a smile.

"Why you…" I chased after her, but it wasn't out of anger. She began to laugh. "I'm gonna get you!"

Then Doc notified, "And by the way Draco, you still have to clean this mess."

"WHA…? Can't you just send some cleaner bots?"

"Nope! The bots get attached to the room they clean in, so they don't leave the room." I wish he'd stop smiling at times like this.

"Fine… I'll get the mop." I dragged my feet across the floor to get the cleaning equipment.

It took me the rest of the day to clean at least half of the huge armory. I gave up and agreed to clean the rest tomorrow. It's too bad I couldn't train today.

I walked with Elenor to her room.

"Relax, Draco," Elenor said.

"Easy for you to say," I replied dully.

"Be patient. You will get the chance to train again."

I scoffed and said dully, "If more stuff pop up, I'll never get the chance to."

"Do not think that way! Keep it up and you will sulk in your despair and cause yourself more distress. Be more optimistic."

"I don't know… I guess that isn't programmed in me yet." I let off a short chuckle.

"That is the spirit! That is not hard."

"Thanks."

"Oh? For what?"

"For cheering me up, even if it's your fault I'm in this pickle."

"Really? I wonder who it was who thought of the wager in the first place?"

"Oh…"

Then, we both laughed as we entered Elenor's room. I hope there's nothing that'll go wrong tomorrow. Damn cleaner bots….

* * *

Gyah... So I will now advertise my story on gaiaonline. That's pretty much the only way I can spread the word. Anyway, catch y'all on the flipside (whoever "y'all" may be). See ya on Day 4! 


	5. Day 4: Emerge

And it's Day 4 and still just a few reviewers. I need more reviewers! Anyway, I'm going through a lot of stress right now and this is the only way I can alleviate my problems. Well, sorta the only way. I always have my pencil and paper handy. Yup yup! I draw too! Just... I don't know how to do it professionally, you know what I mean. Anyway, here's chapter 4 to my story. Enjoy!

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**_Day 4: Emerge_**

"_What happened, big bro?"_

"_I couldn't give Dad his Gae Bolg, Reno."_

"_So, what are you going to do now?" _

"_I'll try sneaking in after dinner and hopefully there'll still be some hunters in line."_

"_Why? What'll happen if there's no more hunters?"_

"_Then Mom and Dad will have problems doing whatever they're doing, Ness."_

"_Why not just give it to the guard at the gate, Roland?"_

"_Whaaa! Don't do that!"_

"_How long have you been standing there, Ken?"_

"_I came in at 'So, what are you going to do now?'"_

"_Ugh… I was hoping you wouldn't come, but knowing you, you'll probably slip up anyway. _

"_What's that supposed to mean?"_

I woke up, surprisingly, without Dr. Montague to bother me. It's a good thing Elenor taught me how to set an alarm before I slept. Basically, I can program myself to do almost anything just by sending the thought patterns through my CPU. Then again, there are things I cannot do yet. I either have to program it in me or learn it myself. However, I prefer to learn the skill rather than being programmed. I just can't stomach the thought of having that long jack injected into my spine.

Unfortunately, I set my alarm too early and woke up before Elenor or Dr. Montague did. I guess I can stick around to see what time they wake up. I opened up the schedule program that's installed in my head and checked the time. WHAT? It's not even sunup yet! I should've paid more attention to Elenor when she was explaining the steps. I was so focused on what I'm going to do the next day that I spaced out once in a while. I looked at Elenor. She just stood there in sleep mode. She looks so cute. Just being with her sends a smile to my face.

Since I'm already awake, I quietly left the room and continued to clean the armory.

"Ugh… this will take forever," I said to myself after about an hour of cleaning the untidy room, "_I wonder what mission they failed to accomplish._"

"What did you say?" Apparently, Elenor dropped in on my conversation with myself.

"Uh—uh… nothing!" I responded nervously. She just came out of nowhere and I didn't know how to respond.

"We are going out again."

"This early in the morning?"

"Yes," she sighed, "It is a pain, but the mission is extremely important to us. We will give you the details later, but for now—,"

"Yeah… clean…"

"I am sorry," she said sympathetically.

"No, no. It's okay. Um… doesn't the doctor need to eat or something?"

"Do not worry. We will grab something on the way out. I need to hurry. I will talk to you later."

"But… bye…."

Why can't I help them? I'm ready! I can handle anything. Then again, I haven't learned much yet. I'm just lucky that I'm living with them. I might as well repay them by helping them with their missions. But, what if I'm not good enough to be in their team and end up cleaning all my life? And considering that I'm an android, I'll take on the trash heap any day. No! I can't think that way! Of course, I'll be in their team! Work my hardest and don't slack off. That's all to it. I'll show them! I'll be the strongest hunter out there, and no one can mess with me. I've made up my mind and that's that. "Mmm-hmm! Nothing will get in my way!" I unintentionally put my hand on my chest again then I remember what I am doing, sighed, and continued cleaning.

By around noon, I finished the room. All the weapons, armors, frames, shields, and barriers are in their places. I moved on to the next, which is Dr. Montague's bedroom. I entered and held my breath as I turned on the light. This room isn't very big, but it's still as equally interesting as the others. Before I released the bots, I explored the room a little. He has a bed on the far back left corner, a closet across from it, other miscellaneous, interesting stuff strewn here and there, and next to the bed is a desk with a computer and a picture of a young Dr. Montague and a girl with pink hair. I paid no further attention to the picture and resumed cleaning. If I want to train soon, I have to work fast. I walked over to the button that releases the bots of doom. Luckily, they behaved better than the ones in the rooms I've visited so far.

I darted room to room and finally finished yesterday's task. The rest of the bots work like the ones in Dr. Montague's, so my job finished a little quicker. "Finally! I'm done! Now what?" I paced back and forth inside Elenor's room. "What to do, what to do. What can I do now that I'm done? Oh! I can look at the other rooms."

I began my exploration. Across from her room is the music room. I entered and again, huge room full of what's supposed to be in it. There are musical instruments of every kind; nice, clean, and organized. I walked around and looked. I'm too scared to touch any of them. What if I dropped them? And who uses this? Again, is it a collection or are these actually used? I left the room and headed for the next one.

The sign on the door read _MAG room_. What's a MAG? It has a password lock too. I tried the password Elenor gave me and it opened. I expect this room to be just as amazing as the other rooms. I entered and I'm right, but this one is different. It's a big room… or… at least I think it is. It has a big tree in the center surrounded by grass. Bushes and all types of flowers are scattered everywhere. Above is a glass ceiling… or what seemed to be a glass ceiling. I wonder why this is a MAG room. I shut the door behind me and walked towards the tree. I was almost there when I heard a rustle in one of the bushes. Where? I couldn't tell. I start to feel uneasy. What on Pioneer 2 is in here? I heard another rustle, this time, in the leaves above me. I looked up then something fell on my face, causing me to fall flat on my back. I popped into my fighting stance, ready to rumble, but saw what fell on me. It's a small, spaceship-looking bot. Could this be a MAG? It looked hurt so I picked it up. It seems harmless. It perked up when I held it in my arms. It hopped out then started to hover around me. Then, someone laughed.

"What? Who's there?" I said in panic. I spun around tensely to see who it is.

"Just me and my friends," replied the voice.

"Where are you?"

"In front of you, silly," the little bot said.

"You?"

"Yup! It's me! Will you be my friend?"

"Oh. S—sure. So, where… are… your friends?" I nervously asked.

"Oh. Hold on. OKAY, EVERYBODY! THIS GUY'S HARMLESS!"

Harmless?

Then, more little bots of all kinds of shapes and sizes popped out of their hiding places. This overwhelmed me. I just hope these little guys don't decide to end up like those evil cleaning bots. At least I could talk to whatever these guys are.

"So, what are you and where are we?"

"We are MAGs and this is where we are kept when we are separated from our masters for any reason like if our masters disowned us, or if our masters died. We are given to hunters as an added protection, but we don't just go with anyone. I'm really surprised you can understand what I'm saying."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Only a few can speak to us. Elenor is one of them."

"You guys know Elenor?"

"Yeah. I mean, seriously, we live in her house."

"Oh yeah…."

"She comes here sometimes and plays with us. We have lots of fun. But, there are times when we don't have fun."

"Really? How?"

"She comes here and talks to us about how her day is and sometimes she says things that don't make us very happy."

"Like what?"

"She talks about how she lonely she feels and the sad missions she go through."

"Lonely?"

"Yeah. She's looking for someone she can look up to, someone she can talk to about her problems and have lots of fun with. Someone who cares for her a lot."

"I hope she finds that someone."

"She had someone for a while, but that person left her for some reason. We all feel sorry for her so this is why we want her to open up to us. Lately, she's been avoiding us, but we want her to feel good about herself."

"Feel good about herself?"

"She felt that the reason why the person left her is because of her. We told her a lot of times that it isn't her fault. We want someone to help her with her problems. So, do you think you have a chance?"

"Eh… What do you mean?"

"You look like a good candidate, too."

The others started to giggle.

"Uh… okay. I get where this is going. What about the missions?"

"We love the happy missions because it makes us feel good, but the sad ones make us all feel bad. There's this one time when Elenor and Dr. Montague escorted a little girl to find her missing butler. They ran around Ragol looking for him, but in the end, they found a letter from him saying that he won't be alive anymore and not to look for him anymore. We felt very sad." All the other MAGs made a sign of agreement from nods to audible uh-huhs.

"Wow… I feel sorry for what they go through. I bet it's hard for other hunters to go through that. It just makes me feel like I don't want to be a hunter. However, I _did_ make a promise to myself."

"A promise?"

"Yeah! That I'll be the best hunter out there."

"Oh. You're very determined. Just like Elenor!"

"What has she told you guys lately?"

"Yesterday, she said one time that they woke someone from a very serious condition and that that someone is funny and scary at the same time."

"Really? Did she say anything else?"

"She said that the day they woke him, he made her upset very much. She likes him, but he made her sad."

Close to a whisper I said, "I feel terribly sorry for doing that to her. I'd do anything to get her to like me again. Neh? What did I just say?"

"You said, 'I felt sorry for doing that to her—'"

"I really said that?

"Mmm-hmm!"

"Uh… Don't tell her what I said, please!"

"Okay. We won't… mmm… under one condition."

"What now?" I seriously didn't like the sound of that.

"You have to tag all 142 of us in two hours." Damn it! Not again… Why me?

"But—"

"We're going to start…"

"No—"

"Right…"

"Just—"

"About…"

"Oh, fine but I—"

"NOW!" After that, all the MAGs scattered all over the place. Apparently, I'm stuck in a game of tag.

I chased and chased all the MAGs. The ones I've tagged hovered gloomily to the tree and waited there. But, they cheered up by misguiding me to some "hiding places" for kicks. After being tricked a couple of times, I learned not to listen to them. I can't afford any time to slip away. I am determined to tag all of them within the time limit and keep my secret safe. Then again, these little rascals will be blackmailing me. At least the MAGs play by the rules and don't stray off from their "jail," is what they call it.

"AHA! That's 68!"

"Oh…" another MAG hovered to the jail sadly.

"Ha ha ha! Can't catch me!" shouted the MAG I talked to.

"Oh I'll get you!" I tried to catch it, but it hovers way too fast, faster than its other buddies. I gave up chasing after it and ran after the others. I have to admit, I am having fun.

"Oh… what's wrong? Giving up? Am I too fast for you?"

"Grrr! I'll get you soon!" I retorted as I tagged the 90th.

"Oh! You better hurry! You have 58 minutes and 36.7 seconds left and counting."

"What? You can't be serious."

"Mmm-hmm! You better go catch us faster!"

I ran after the remaining 51 and managed to tag them all, except for the fast MAG. According to it, I have 30 minutes left.

"Ooh! Big blue is tired," the fast one taunted. The others started to laugh, the sound hitting me like a sonic boom.

"Stop… making… fun… of me," I panted. Why am I so determined to keep them from telling Elenor that I care a lot for her? I want to tell her from the beginning, but why haven't I got around to telling her? Just when I was about to give up, the fast one got cocky.

"Hey, big blue! I'll make it easy on you," it taunted again. "I'll give you an extra 15 minutes to catch me. Hee hee!"

"Fine! Anything for me to win."

"Hee hee… hurry, big blue." I ran after it and it hovered backwards quickly. "Ooh! Running out of energy?" I tried again and it moved to the right. "Ooh! So close." I kept at it for another 30 minutes and tried to see if there is a pattern. Nope… Nothing! It's true! They do make these robots with emotion and a mind of their own. I'll never catch this little guy. Unless…

"Oh fine! You win! I give up," I shouted.

"What? You… eh…?"

"You heard me. I give up."

"You're kidding! Stop messing around. I'm not done with you yet!"

"Nope! I'm not kidding. I give up. You're just too quick for me."

"What? Just like that? I was expecting you to put up a little fight," it said as it inched towards me, but cautiously.

"I'm beat. I think I'll just rest right here," I said as I fell on my back. I saw it flinch when I did so. I'm just waiting for the right moment. I faked the sleep mode and it hovered towards me. It bumped me a couple of times to see if I was awake. Now was my time. "HAH!" And, I tagged it.

"Agh! What? I thought you said you were done!"

"Hee hee! I knew that I couldn't get you at this rate. For one, I'm tired and I will never catch you as long as I remain operational."

"So, you tricked me?"

"Yup! I knew I couldn't catch you with speed, so I decided to use my head. Now, you're number 142."

"Hee hee! I found you!" it shouted happily as it hovered up and down joyfully.

"Eck… What do you mean?" I asked with confusion.

"I was looking for the hunter who is smart enough to catch me. Until now, I haven't been very successful. But now, I'm so glad!"

"So, pretty much, this is a test?"

"Yup! But you know, the agreement was two hours."

"…But you said 15 more minutes."

"I did that because I thought you had the potential to pass my test and I was afraid you'll leave as soon as the game was over."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I waited so long for this. Finally, I can end my search." I couldn't help notice that it went from childish to mature. There's more to this MAG than meets the eye.

"Search for what?"

"The search for the one who is compatible with me."

"For what?" I skeptically asked. What could this MAG do that's so useful?

"Combat."

"Combat?"

"Yup!"

"But, what can _you_ do?"

"I don't know just yet. That's why I need to find the one for me."

"Are the others like this too?"

"Yes. But, they have different tests. It just happens that you passed mine."

"I see. What do we need to do to find out what you can do?"

"We have to be at least 100 synchronized with one another. From then, we can unlock our true potentials."

"Our true potentials…"

"Draco! There you are! Hey Bana! We are back!" It's Elenor. All the MAGs rushed to greet her. They really like her a lot. "I see you have met my friend, Bana."

"Bana?"

"It's the MAG that was next to you."

"Hey, Elenor!" a MAG called out.

"Tell us a story," said another.

"Please!"

"I am sorry," she replied, "but I cannot stay for a long time." They all sadly backed down. "I will tell you one the next time I come by." Then, she turned to me, "So what have you been doing when we were gone?"

I stuttered, "Uh—uh—I… er… was—"

"'We were playing tag,' is what he's trying to say," Bana covered up.

"Yeah! That's what we did! We… played tag together and Bana is a tough player."

"Hee hee… he caught me in the end."

"What?" she shouted in shock, "Really? So he passed your test?"

"Yup! With flying colors!"

"Wow, Draco! You are lucky!" she cheered. All the other MAGs joined in too. "I cannot believe this! I have to tell Dr. Montague right away. Oh! And come with me, of course. You too, Bana."

"Okay!" we both replied simultaneously. I can tell my adventures ahead are going to be interesting. Is being synchronized hard?

We quickly walked down the hallway to Dr. Montague's office. What is up? Are MAGs that important? I'll figure it out when we get there. And what's so special with Bana? I know it gets to be my partner, but what's behind it? I remembered what Bana said about the MAGs' masters. _We are MAGs and this is where we are kept when we are separated from our masters for any reason like if our masters disowned us, or if our masters died._ What happened to Bana's master? I watched it as we follow Elenor to Dr. Montague's office. It remained happy and carefree, but it could be hiding the sorrow deep inside somewhere. I feel a bit melancholy just thinking about it. Then again, do I have a history?

We arrived at Doc's office.

"Doctor! I have good news!" Elenor said gleefully.

"What? Did you find her?" he replied. What did he mean by "her"?

"No, not yet."

"Ugh… then what is it, Elenor?"

"Remember, we were going to take Draco down to the MAG room to see which MAG he's compatible with?"

"Yes, I remember."

"Draco managed to take care of that for us while we were away."

"Oh really? Who is it?"

"Bana."

"Bana?"

"Yes! It is wonderful."

"Indeed it is. It's fortunate that this MAG chose you over the many others who came down here."

"What's so special about Bana?" I asked. I glanced over to Bana and it looked as if it's glaring at me. How I can tell? I don't know. Maybe it's giving out a certain signature that's telling me that motion. If that's the case, then can androids cry? Elenor…

"Bana is not any ordinary MAG," Elenor began. She looked at Bana sadly and Bana responded with a grave nod. "This MAG is custom-made and raised by one of the famous hunters in history. Many years have gone by since Bana's master passed away, from what we assumed. We found Bana distraught and severely damaged. He wandered around the Ragolian forest mindlessly, as if in a trance. I managed to make him open up his feelings with us. I grew sympathetic and cheered him up. Finally, I convinced him to come with us and repaired him. That is when we decided to make the MAG room. Everything in there is similar to the simulation room, but it is only programmed to create a utopia for the MAGs. For a while, it was not that spacious and the huge tree you saw there was not part of the original program. It was Dr. Montague's idea to implant it. It is the perfect touch for their utopia."

"Yes, yes. I am a genius. Hee hee!" Doc said.

"We found more and more MAGs out in the wild, especially with the disaster a few years ago. We ran out of room and enlarged it enough so we can take in more MAGs. However, these MAGs are different from Bana. You noticed that he is quicker than the others, right?"

"Yes, I did," I replied.

"There is something that sets Bana apart from the others. They seem childish and somewhat slow, however, Bana is not that way."

"I noticed that too."

"Unfortunately, we do not know what happened to him exactly or the whereabouts of his master because of the injury that was inflicted to him before we found him. All we know for sure is that his master is not any ordinary person."

"Then, why is it so important that he finds someone?"

"I'll answer that," Bana said. "I remained in the MAG room for years and watched many MAGs leave with their new masters. I was so jealous until I heard that a lot of them weren't treated so well. With that in mind, I didn't want to risk leaving with the wrong person."

"And that's when you made the test," I interrupted.

"Yes. And the others soon did the same. Now, we're never leaving until we find the person we think we're compatible with. The idea worked like a dream and many hunters who come here far exceeds all others because of the great harmony the MAG and hunter share together. It doesn't matter if the hunter is good or bad. It all depends on their synchronization.

"Years upon years swept by, but still, I can't find the one right for me. I began to grow more jealous of all the other MAGs. Once, I tested Elenor, but she failed like the other hunters before you. I almost gave up. However, as kind as Elenor is, she encouraged me to push on. I saw one of the most peculiar things while I waited for you. A MAG who looked like a butterfly chose a mysterious, dark character. The hunter had cyan colored hair that's spiked back and had a mask that covered his nose and mouth like a ninja. His armor glimmered an eerie black and he held a rifle firmly in his hand. He looks very angry, but ironically, he has a cute MAG." It paused to let off a little laugh. "However, his younger brother is the counterpart of the scary one. He has brown hair that droops down a little below his chin and wore gray armor with yellow patches on the shoulders and on the back. He is kind at heart and cares for his older brother very much. I see he idolizes him, because I can sense a strong bond with the two. But, something about the two bothers me. I feel a certain sorrow within them just by looking at their faces. They both try to hide it by acting the way they do. They lost someone. Family, I'm guessing."

"You can learn that much from observing?"

"It's amazing what you can do just by watching everything around you. Look closely and you'll probably notice things that you haven't before."

I noticed that Elenor and Dr. Montague remained quiet as Bana told his story. I don't think Dr. Montague can understand a word, but he respected the moment for the time being.

"So," Doc broke the short silence, "Draco, want to do more training?"

"I thought you'd never ask," I said in relief.

"First, we'll head to the armory. We're going to do something new today."

"Weapon training?" I said to myself hopefully. Then again, I did have some training with the buster with the cleaning bot situation.

We walked down the obnoxious hallway again and to the Armory, AKA "the cleaning bot crypt." Dr. Montague entered the password and led us into the crypt. I glanced at Elenor, but she didn't seem to remember my situation in this room. Instead, she was focused on what is going to happen next. I'm picking up an odd vibe from the atmosphere. We walked deeper into the large cache of weapons and armor and stopped in front of a wall. Why here?

"Hold on. You avert your eyes while I do this," Doc demanded.

We did what he said. While we stood with our backs facing the doctor, he pushed something and typed in another password. I doubt it's the same one that I've memorized already. After punching in three digits, he told us to turn around. What looked like a wall now isn't one. Inside is another room full of rare, interesting weapons. Dr. Montague picked up a dark purple lance that looks just as mysterious as I am. But, this weapon looks vaguely familiar.

"Here you go, Draco," he said as he handed me the weapon. "I believe this belongs to you."

"Belongs… to me?" I held it in my hands and suddenly visions came out of nowhere like the ones I've been getting when I'm in sleep mode, only it's longer and in a faster motion. The visions I see are familiar. I saw people, my family. I saw a transport ship and a group of people standing in front of it. What do these visions mean?

"Are you feeling well, Draco? Draco!" Doc's trying to remain as calm as possible.

"ACK! RRAGH!" I can't shake off these visions! "WHY?" I fell to my knees and kept screaming in pain. My head throbbed intensely. After a few minutes, it finally stopped. The last thing I saw was a bright, white flash. "That… was… intense," I panted.

"Draco, what happened?" Elenor asked with concern while she held on to my arm in case I needed support.

"I don't know," I panted, "these visions… rushed at me… out of nowhere. I know I haven't mentioned it before, but I've been getting these visions every time I'm in sleep mode." I have an idea of who I am now, but the details are still a little vague. I need help putting the pieces together.

"Why did you not tell us?"

"I didn't think it was a big deal."

"What kind of visions, may I ask?" Dr. Montague questioned.

"It's more about my past. Something happened to me, didn't it?"

"Uh…"

"What's up doctor?" My voice began to crescendo again. Elenor let go of me and darted behind Dr. Montague.

"Er… uh…"

"What? You know something and it's not making me very comfortable! I want to know now!" I began to get angry again. I looked at Elenor and remembered my situation with her. I calmed down a bit. "Please Doc… I know you say that I'm not ready, but I have the right to know."

After a long, uncomfortable silence he finally said, "Five years ago a huge explosion occurred on Ragol's surface as the Central Dome and Pioneer established a communications link. A very few amount of people around the Central Dome area survived. Immediately after that ordeal, the principal went berserk and called every hunter aboard Pioneer 2 to a meeting and ordered everyone to scale the planet for survivors. The reward for finding anyone is 10,000 mesetas each. For days, we all had no luck in finding any survivors and this disheartened the principal a great deal. Elenor and I were about to give up when we found you by a transport ship. One of the supply crates was tipped to the side. The cover, another bigger crate, and a lot of food wrappers concealed most of your body. Inside lay your lifeless body, barely breathing. We took you in and put you on life support for as long as a year, year and a half, hoping for you to regain consciousness, when a renegade hunter ran in the lab trying to escape the military pursuing him. Elenor and I captured him. Most of the room was left in disarray in the process. Luckily, you were never harmed, but the only thing that kept you alive is all in a shambles.

"Before I left the lab, I looked behind me for a short moment to see if you're okay, and there I saw little Elenor by your side. She looked so cute. (EHEM!) Anyway, I arrived at the hospital when I shockingly noticed how busy everyone was. I just stood by the entrance as if I were paralyzed by a Poison Lily and gaped at the scene.

"Renegade hunters are trying to prove that hunters are the superior protection. There are military people who think that way too, so it's a constant battle back and forth. Ironically, they are hurting people rather than protecting them, so it's up to the rest of us to play referee. We call the rioters _gades_ for short. I knew the gades were causing riots all over Pioneer 2, but I didn't know how much chaos they caused.

"Anyhow, a nurse freed me from my paralysis by asking if I need any help. Immediately, I asked for a respirator, but from this appalling view, I knew none of them would be available. Sure enough, there wasn't any free. I came back agonizing your fate and had to do something, but there's nothing this mind can't do.

"I finally decided to purchase as many HP and TP generates and rewired them to sustain your air supply, rather than speeding up your healing process. HP and TP generates absorb air like your lungs and converts it into stimulators to boost your healing process, but the user needs to be breathing _normally_ in order for this to work. Since the amplifiers aren't accustomed to the change, they won't last long enough to see you come through. We could've just use up all the generates I bought until you regained your consciousness again, but I knew we couldn't take that chance. In the end, I decided that we alter your body so that it could support you without the risk of losing you. As to why it took too long, I cannot say. It's strictly confidential. I'll tell you one day."

I began to feel angry again, but this time it's different. "I was human once and now you're expecting me to help you score some mesetas? Is that it? And what about the people I knew? How the hell are they going to recognize me now, _Smiley_?"

"To tell you the truth we aren't doing it for the money, but… HEY! Where are you going?"

"Out," I said as I turned my back and headed towards the door.

"Draco…" Elenor murmured sadly. I turned around and looked at her. Her look disarmed me again.

"Elenor…" I can't stand it. They're using me! I have the right to leave, but Elenor…. Dr. Montague probably made her to trap me here, but still… I can't stand seeing her sad again. I want to stay because of her, but still, it's wrong that I'm just a tool for their job.

"Draco… please do not go."

"I…"

"I don't want you to leave. I'll be lonely again." She began to look sad again.

"Elenor…." I was about to turn to leave.

"Please… do not go!" Then, she ran to me and put her arms around me tightly. I nearly dropped the weapon I held in my hand. "Please, Draco. Do not go! It has been a long time since I had someone to talk to or have fun with. Dr. Montague is always busy so we do not have a lot of chances to talk like you and I do. The MAGs are a great help, but I did not want to dishearten them with my sad stories. They have gone through enough already. Because of that, I have been avoiding them. Then, you came along. At first, it was awkward. But, I quickly felt comfortable talking to you. As I did, I began to feel close and I had fun together. I am happy to be with you." Her eyes poured with what looked like tears, holographic tears. It tore me up badly.

I have to admit I do have fun being with her, even if we meet just every once in a while. Something about her lights up my day. Maybe, it's the fact she's cute? I don't know. However, there are times when I screwed up the moment. How could I have been so stupid? Things got better after I apologize though. But still, I shouldn't put her through such stress.

"Elenor… I'm sorry. But I need some time alone. I need to think this through."

"But—"

I pressed my finger to her lips. "I'll be back. I just need to go out there and find some things I've lost."

After a long pause, she let go of me with tears still streaming from her eyes. So… androids can cry. But… what am I? I'm half human, half robot. A cyborg…

* * *

MORE REVIEWERS! Or more reviews, period. I need more reviews please! Umm... maybe some help to get more people to read it because I might be doing something wrong. I'm still thinking that I'm not advertising enough, or I'm advertising too much. I dunno... I need help, folks! Gah... So, I'll just catch you guys on Day 5! And to Lilikoifish,thanks for keeping up. Your stories are awesome too! Catch y'all on the flipside. JapanEyedPinoy, outta here! Payce! 


	6. Day 5: Anxiety

And it's Day 5! Yay! Well... it's not entirely a "yay", but it is. Yeah... Confusing... Anyway, I need more reviews! REVIEWS! Or actually more people reading it. Gah... Maybe this game isn't popular enough. It's such a good game, nonetheless. People are missing out! Yush! Oh! And if any of you are wonderingor overlooked why I chose the name Draco, it's because of my former favorite screen name, DracoRed. Then, it became my character in PSO so... yeah... If you have anything against Draco Malfoy from Harry Potter, this is the explanation why I chose the name. Don't shoot me! Then again, there are people out there who like Draco Malfoy, not that I have a problem with it. Either way, he's not the reason why I have the name. Okay? Oh! Which reminds me...

**_Disclaimer_**

I do not own Phantasy Star Online, whatsoever. Blame it all on Sega, Nintendo, and all those good companies.

Anyway, read on, folks! On to Day 5!

* * *

_**Day 5: Anxiety**_

"_Where's Fami?"_

"_I don't know!"_

"_Well! Don't just stand there. Help me find it!"_

"_Why don't you find it yourself? I got something to do."_

"_What? Play games?"_

"_Yeah, if you don't mind."_

"_But I do mind, damn it! Help me find it!"_

_What is a Fami?_

I awoke from the sound of my alarm. I promised Elenor that I'd stay one more day. With those eyes, I'll do anything.

I decided to prepare myself for the journey on my own by taking the opportunity to train one last time before I left. Thinking about being alone scares me. Who knows what'll happen to me. But, I have Bana with me, so I'll do fine, I hope.

Anyway, I have to learn to use the weapon that is meant for me and see if I can synchronize with Bana somehow. We began the simulation and the same figure appeared before me, but this time it had a halberd at hand. It showed me the effective ways to attack and defend with the lance, and then Dr. Montague decided to pull another one on me. Suddenly, the figure turned to attack.

"Damn it, Doc!" I shouted.

"Hee hee! One last time before you go!" I see the doctor is enjoying himself. Fighting hand to hand is one thing, but with weapons? I got nervous, but remembering the fun I had a couple of days ago put me back in the mood.

I dodged the figure's attack by rolling to the side and tried to hit him with a vertical slash. I almost hit Bana. He yelled absurdities at me, but I ignored. I told him to teleport back because I was scared that he'd get hurt. He's so small! What can he do in battle? Then, the figure jumped aside and slashed horizontally. I ducked it and swept him at his leg, but he jumped high and sliced down. I blocked it by holding my weapon in front of me and countered by pushing him back, causing him to lose his balance, and spun around rapidly for a kick. I got him on the ribs, causing him to stagger backwards. I took the advantage by spinning around once more in the same direction and smashing the hilt of my weapon on the side of his head. The impact caused him to flip sideways one and a half times, landing on his face. I am victorious again! He got up with a grimace. We bowed to each other and everything turned to normal again.

Elenor entered again, but she didn't look too happy.

"Congratulations, Draco," she said, hiding her sadness with a smile.

"Thanks. You're not going to challenge me again, are you?"

"No, no. I am not," she laughed quietly, "If I had my way, I would challenge you to another duel to keep you here…."

We both laughed.

"Nah! I'm sure I'll win."

"Oh, really?" She puts her hands on her hips in protest.

"You got lucky last time."

"Want a rematch?"

"Okay you guys," Bana interrupted, "don't you get lovey-dovey on us and stay here all night. For all I care, I could be back in the MAG room with the others." I was engulfed in my bout that I forgot that Bana is in here with me. The word "lovey-dovey" startled us both and we just stood there somewhat paralyzed staring at each other.

"What is wrong? Will you three come back, please?" Doc interrupted. The announcement startled us.

"Yes, Doctor." We all replied.

We warped out of the room and joined Dr. Montague in the terminal, but still had "lovey-dovey" echoing in my head. It seems to affect Elenor too, because she is a little wobbly. I didn't think it would have that kind of effect on her. I still need to learn more about this body.

"What's wrong with you two?" he asked with a perplexed look on his face. He could see something between us, but I'm not exactly sure. Elenor and I both felt jittery.

"Nothing!" Elenor and I replied together abruptly after Doc asked his question. We glanced at each other then faced Doc again as soon as we made eye contact. I thought I caught Bana shaking his head in the corner of my eye.

"Uh-huh… Anyway, we're leaving soon, Elenor. I suggest you tell Draco other bodily functions before we go," he said as we started to leave the simulation room. Bana hardly contained his laugh at the phrase "bodily functions".

"Yes, Doctor," she replied before we separated. After that, he went to his room with the usual wide grin on his face and we went to Elenor's room. We were alone once again.

"So, uh…"

"Yeah…"

Then, there was another uncomfortable silence.

Bana interjected, "(Ehem!) About the bodily functions?" Bana is still with us.

"Right!" Elenor said with a start. "I told you two ways to charge already, correct?"

"Mmm-hmm," I replied.

"That leaves using water, breathing, the last way to charge, and repairing damages. Keep in mind that staying under water drains your energy quicker. The rate your energy is drained depends on how deep you are. Underwater exploration will use up your energy quicker because your body is using up your energy to push the water out of your body. The deeper you go the more energy is used to keep the water from seeping into your systems, because of the high-pressure.

"However, water is not just harmful to your body. This cools down your systems so it will not heat up. If you ever feel like you are going to melt, drink some water, then it will be distributed throughout your body. But, be careful. Imagine a balloon being filled with water. If you fill it up too much, it will burst. That will happen inside you when you drink too much.

"Believe it or not, we breathe too. This circulates the energy so our body can move more efficiently. If the energy is discontinued in a certain area, that part of your body will automatically shut down until the circulation is regenerated. It is like the nerve endings of an organic being.

"Also, almost anything is good energy. Basically, you take it orally and your distribute systems will take care of it from there. When you _do_ charge this way, keep in mind that smoke should come out of your exhaust panel, which is under your shoulder blades. If nothing comes out, then I suggest you go to the hospital as quickly as you can. Android technicians will take care of you there. You have only less than an hour to get there before you explode.

"What? Are you serious?"

"No. I am kidding."

"Elenor!"

She began to laugh, "I am sorry. I want to mess with you one last time before you depart. Anyway, if it does not come out your exhaust panels, the smoke should come out of your mouth. However, this will hurt, so prepare for that.

"The safest way to charge this way is to use green canisters that are marked monomates, dimates, or trimates. The mates are also used for body repairs. If your plating is penetrated by enemy attack, rub on some mate on your wounds, and then it should rebuild what is damaged. Trimates repair you the fastest of the three. That is all." The atmosphere grew melancholy again and we are in another uncomfortable silence. "I know I cannot stop you," she said softly, "so please, do not forget me."

"Why are you worrying so much? I'll come back! Maybe sooner than you think."

She came and put her arms around me. "I will miss you." Her touch paralyzed me again. Her chest is surprisingly soft.

After a long pause, I responded, "I—I'll miss you t—too."

Just when I was about to put my arms around her, the door opened. She let go of me with a start.

"Time to go, Elenor. Feel free to take anything you need before you leave. The last thing I need is my greatest creation to be destroyed," Dr. Montague said by the door with the usual smile on his face.

"Good-bye, Draco," She said as she waved to me with a sad smile and left.

"Good-bye, Elenor," I said back.

The door closed behind them and I stood there for a while staring at the door. I never wanted the hug to end. Without it, it feels a little… lonely. The feeling is overwhelming enough that I had to sit against the wall. I heaved a saddened sigh.

"Ooh! Lover boy!" Apparently, I forgot about Bana again. I could be blushing right now.

"Shut up!" I snapped.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I ruin the moment?"

"Yeah, you did," I replied dully.

After another long pause, Bana said, "May I suggest something?"

"Sure. Go ahead. I'm too tired to care."

"Stay."

"What?" I said in confusion. "I can't believe what you're suggesting. I'm being used and do you expect that I stay here? Then again, I could stay with Elenor. But… I'm being used, damn it! ARGH! I don't know what to do anymore!"

"Stay! Think about it. If you waltz up to your family's house, you could startle them and cause an unneeded commotion. Plus, you don't even know if they still live in the same house. Also, you don't know what it's like out there. You could be torn apart by a hunter and sold piece by piece for all I care. You might as well be thrown in the junk heap. Also, Doctor and Elenor can help you to look for your family."

"But, I made up my mind. Besides, I can take on anyone. You saw how good I am a while ago."

"That's true. But according to Elenor, you aren't ready yet. You lost to her and she could be well beyond a ten ranked fighter."

"You're right," I confessed dully, "but I can't stand being used by these people."

"Then, stay awhile. Things will change over time."

"Is it another one of those observation moments?"

"No. I know by experience. I used to think that way about my master."

"But, I thought you couldn't remember your master."

"It's true that I lost part of my memory due to the injuries that were inflicted upon me, but it's his name I couldn't remember. I can _never_ forget him completely. All I have of him, now, are incoherent memories."

"I see. So in a way, we are alike."

"Yes indeed, we are." He seems to want to swing away from the talk about his experience with his master. I'll respect that for the time being. I just want to see where this is heading.

"So, if we have more things in common, we could be easily synchronized, right?"

"Being synchronized doesn't necessarily mean that we have a lot of things in common."

"Okay. So, we have to know what the other is thinking and maybe that's how it'll work."

"That, I cannot say. Unfortunately, I could perhaps have lost that portion of my memory as well. So, I have to relearn this skill altogether. If we're lucky, I'll remember how to synchronize over time."

"I hope it's soon. I just want to see what something so puny can do."

"Hey! I can do something," he shouted at me.

"Heh…. I'm sorry. Anyway, this is what we'll do: we'll take turns asking questions and the other has to answer these questions, _truthfully_."

"I see. Who goes first then?"

"I'll go." Then, we began our little game. "According to your memories, what does your master look like?"

"Do you really want to talk about that?"

"Yes I do, if that's what it takes to be synchronized."

He sighs, "Oh, okay. He has long white hair and a bushy mustache and he wore white armor that has a blue outlining. He has a scar over his right eye. He's old now. He could've died from old age, but that won't explain my injuries."

"Hmm… he's been killed, no kidding. No ordinary person could've taken your master down." I can see he still doesn't want to talk about his master. "Anyway, your turn."

"Could you tell me the descriptions of the people you remember in your visions?"

"Uh… there is a Hunter who has short brown hair with a mustache who wore a gray colored armor with some yellow patches, like the little boy you described to me who is attached to his older brother. The Hunter's wife is a Force; she has long, cyan-colored hair that goes down a little lower than the small of her back. She has a long blue robe and wore a long hat to go with her outfit… OH!" I startled Bana from my sudden exclamation. "Their sons resemble the same descriptions of the two brothers who came to the MAG room that one time!"

"Hmm… you could be tied to them somehow."

"Now that you mention it, I _do_ feel a connection." Then, I felt a sudden sense of grief. "Oh no… what if…"

"You could be the one they've lost."

"I could be their brother."

"It makes sense. But, what will you do if you find them? They won't easily be convinced that you're their brother, you know?"

"I didn't think about it until now, but it's this weapon I hold in my hand."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah. This is deeply important to them, this _Gae Bolg_. If they see me with this, they'll recognize me."

"But, how will they know it's you? This weapon, I'm assuming, isn't only one of its kind."

I looked for an inscription on the blade.

"It's this." I showed Bana a name engraved in the base of the blade.

"Conners?"

"It's their last name; our… last name. It's now falling into place! I tried so hard to give it to them… our parents." I grew melancholy again. "I tried so hard to return this to them and deliberately went against my parent's words. Now, look where it's gotten me…. I'm sorry. I've been rambling on and on about me. I'm so selfish."

"No! Don't worry about it. I'm more interested in your past than mine."

"But, it's wrong. Tell me a little more about yourself." Now is time to quit holding back my little friend.

"I'm sorry, but that's all I can remember. I'm just a partner for my master and the whereabouts of my master are still unknown and I've lost parts of my memory from the injuries that were inflicted upon me."

"Uh-uh," I shook my head, "you seem to be forgetting something."

"R—really?"

"You kinda swung away from saying how you felt about your master in the past."

"Oh, uh—uh really? You don't want to hear that," he insisted.

"You want to relearn how be synchronized, don't ya?"

"Uh… er… yeah."

"So tell me! It won't hurt to tell me."

"Uh—uh… okay." He sighed in defeat then paused to collect his thoughts. "It was a few weeks after I was created when I began to feel indifferent towards my master. I went with him everywhere, on his errands, missions, and even leisurely strolls around Pioneer 2. From this, I saw things that disturbed me. I saw androids and MAGs being abused by their masters and they still reluctantly listen to them after what they've done to them. A lot of them forgive their masters for what they do to them, but in the end many of them leave their masters.

"After taking in what I've seen, I began to think my master is that way about me too and I began to dislike all humans, especially my master. I thought to myself, 'If I could leave now, then I can save myself from the hurt.'

"Subsequently, I left without a word to my master. At first, all is well, but I began to feel lonely and missed my master, ironically. I laughed at the thought every time and it soothed my sorrowful soul for a while. Days went by and I still roamed Pioneer 2 master-less. One night, I came across a shady android who is twice as wide as you are and had black armor. His head is long like a small rocket. He and his associates tried to 'persuade' me to join their team. They cornered me in a dark alleyway and slapped me around. I thought of pleading for leniency, but what good will that do? They still pounded me back and forth." He shuddered. "Their horrible laughs still reverberate in my head.

"They left me behind, thrashed. From what I remember, it's not as bad as the beating I've taken before I lost my memory. I wish the attack upon my master and I destroyed this part of my memory, but it didn't. It hurts me to relive this."

I feel sorry for putting him through such grief, but I have to understand him somehow.

"You don't have to go on, if you want to," I said. "I won't force you."

"No. It's okay. You need to know me, so I'll open my heart to you." He paused again then continued. "Anyway, a human was nice enough to bring me to the hospital and get me repaired. At the time, I loathed the idea. I just wanted to die at the thought. After sitting in the recovery room for a few hours, my master found me. Someone noticed who I was and who I belonged to and took the audacity to tell my master where I've been within the past few hours. My master looked very distraught and pale, but at the same time, he looked very glad to see me. He rushed to my side and whispered, 'I'm sorry, Bana! Was it something I did or didn't do? Please tell me because I never want to lose you again.' He was on the brink of tears after that. From that point forward, I knew I wasn't just a… _thing_… to my master. I am a part of him and he's a part of me." Bana paused for a moment. He could be holding back his tears. "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to dishearten you," he said apologetically.

"No, not at all. It actually convinced me to stay. But, the thought of them using me to save their job still bothers me."

"Something tells me, there's more to it than just using you. You'll see. Through time, you'll change your mind about them."

I'm sure being synchronized will be easier from now on. I got to know my partner and I've figured out what happened to me. If it weren't for Bana, I'll be out there somewhere sold in pieces. I'm convinced! I'll stay! But, I'm still skeptical about MAGs being used in combat, though.

So, for another few hours, we talked about what we like to do and what were our favorite things, and so on. I figured out that Bana has a crush on the MAG who is given to my brother. If that's the case, I hope I run into them sometime. The more we talked, the more things we have in common. We both liked the same music, same activities… it's like having a conversation with myself... and that is a bit scary. It's like Bana can read my thoughts. I don't think I can read his because I'm too slow for that. This made me feel uneasy and I have to know.

"Bana," I interrupted, "can you read my mind?"

"Eh? Now what brought that up?"

"Doesn't it seem a little… _weird_… that we have a lot of things in common?"

"Now that you mention it, yes it is and I was about to ask you the same question."

"Oh, good," I sighed in relief, "I was afraid to have someone with ESP as my partner."

"Ditto. But still, it is a little unusual that we have the same commonalities."

"Mmm-hmm. I guess… we _are_ destined for each other."

After that little sidetrack, we continued asking questions for another few hours. Then, I began to worry about Dr. Montague and Elenor. They've been out longer than usual. Something must've happened to them.

"Bana," I interrupted again.

"What is it, Draco?" he asked with a slight irritation.

"Doc and Elenor is out for a long time and it's making me worried."

"You worry too much. Stressing too much will fry your circuits. They'll come back soon, you'll see," Bana reassured.

"I hope you're right."

We continued doing our thing for another hour. I sat in grief for every second that went by with Bana constantly comforting my internal struggle.

"I got to go out there and find them!" I said finally. "I'm tired of waiting! Something _is_ up! I know it!"

"But, what if they arrive when you're gone?"

"You forget. I'm supposed to be gone."

"That's right. Okay, let's go. We don't have a moment to lose."

"Right on! By the way, thank you."

"Er… You're welcome. For what?"

"For helping me uncover my past."

Then we prepared to leave. I'm excited and nervous at the same time. My first mission! Hang on you guys. Draco is coming to the rescue. On our way to the armory, Bana explained how my containment system (CS) works. Basically, I can store a lot of things here and never have to worry about carrying a bag. There is a small screen I can flip open on my right wrist and that's how I can choose what I need. To store something, I just hold the item I want to store in the hand with the wrist screen and press _store_ with the other. Amazing what we can do with technology!

Bana and I entered the "crypt", which is what I officially nicknamed the armory, and gathered as many monomates, dimates, and trimates as possible and placed them in my CS. All I could carry with me were ten of each. Then, I equipped myself with a shield and armor. Bana didn't have enough time to see if there were better ones, so he selected the ones closest to us.

Bana explained to me how to use a shield. "When you are in trouble, just hold out your arm."

"Like this?" I asked as I held out my arm in front of my chest.

"Yes. And you should deflect the attack. One problem though, you are vulnerable from the back, so keep a constant watch over your shoulder. Also, if you fight someone with a phenomenal strength, you could overload your shield, causing it to break and shut down to cool and regenerate. This will also make you vulnerable to any attack."

"So what should I do when it heats up like that?"

"All you can do is run away until your shield cools down and regenerates again. You should hear a series of beeps when it's about to break. The interval depends on how close it is to shutting down. The beeps are quicker when it's closest to overheating and vice-versa when it's furthest. When it's done cooling, it should stop beeping. Basically, you can tell if the shield broke, so I won't explain that. But then, you can try fending off the enemy until it cools, but that'll be the ultimate risk."

"That shouldn't be a problem," I bragged.

"I hope so. Also, you should keep your Gae Bolg in your CS."

"It's okay. I might want to be ready to help Elenor and Dr. Montague if they're in trouble."

"Suit yourself."

After that, we bolted out of the lab, locked it, and began our search for the missing duo. Hold on you two. I'm coming to get you!

After a short sprint, I froze. Everywhere you see, lights, buildings, holographic screens, transport ships hovering here and there… and people, a lot of people. From that point, I realized how hard it would be to find Dr. Montague and Elenor. For one, I don't have any leads whatsoever. It won't hurt to ask people. I mean, C'mon! Dr. Montague is famous. I'm sure someone saw them.

I looked around for a good candidate for my Q&A and found an eerie tall man with cyan colored hair standing with a few other familiar people. It's them! But, how will I pop up the question? And will they remember me? I stared at them, deep in thought, when my brother looked at me, his cold, red eyes glaring at me. Why is he looking at me that way? I don't know how to react. Then, he started to charge after me. I panicked and tried to run away as fast as I could. I want to stop and explain who I am, but he's just too intimidating. I don't want to know what he'd do to me if he caught up.

I kept running and occasionally looked over my shoulder to see if he is still on pursuit. Sure enough, he's still there. The Gae Bolg slowed me down because it would accidentally deck someone in the face. While we wove in and out of the huge groups of people, I frantically opened my screen and stored the lance in my CS. Of course, he can't recognize me, because the stupid doctor had to change my form. I don't know what's going through his mind.

"Why are you chasing me?" I shouted. He won't answer. Instead, he continues his charge. I tried again, still, no answer. There's got to be a way to calm him down. I don't have time for this! I need to find Doc and Elenor.

"What in the world is going on here? Why are we running?" Bana demanded while he hovered behind me. We approached a pedestrian bridge and the view is breathtaking, but there's no time to look at the scenery.

"It's him."

"Who?"

"My brother."

"Hmm… I see. Jump over the rail on your left."

"What?"

"JUUUUUMMMMMP!"

I jumped over the rail and thought I was going to die when a small car caught me. We barely hovered a mile when I saw a yellow flash zip past my head. My brother changed a lot. What happened to the calmer brother I once knew? Another bolt flew at me. This time, it managed to hit the main engine and caused the car to lose altitude. Smoke and fire gushed out of the wound and it's hard to see where we're going. I'm sure the person who's driving is panicking too. I knocked on the door and told the person to open up the cockpit. The girl piloting the car agreed to open it up and joined me on top.

"Look what you did to my car, damn it!" the girl screamed.

"I'm sorry, but now's not a good time to argue."

"Jeez! And I just got this yesterday!" she continued.

"Okay-okay! I'll repay you later, but now we need to find a way to get off this thing without hurting ourselves much."

"_Much?_"

"On my count, jump off to your right!" Bana shouted.

"Right!" I replied uneasily.

"Right, what?" the girl asked with a perplexed look.

"My MAG said jump on his count."

"How do you—,"

"Do you want to live?" She stopped talking and nodded. "Okay. Just hold on to me and jump when I tell you to."

"Okay," Bana and I shouted, "Ready! Set! JUMP!"

We jumped off and landed in an artificial tree and the car crashed into a water fountain, sending water, smoke, flames, and shards of marble everywhere. I managed to block some of the shards with my shield, but missed one, which struck the girl on her left shoulder. The piece penetrated her with such force that it's protruding through the other side. I stared in shock.

She screams, "AAAAHHHHH!"

"Holy sh…! A—are you okay?" I asked calmly as possible.

"Don't worry! I won't die from it." She's really tough for a girl like her. She has bright, pink hair, dark, tanned skin, and pointy ears. She's probably a newman. Her attire is a bit scandalous and it made me feel jittery. She wore tight, black, short clothing that expressed every inch of her curves. "Why are you staring at me like that?"

"Uh—uh sorry! (ehem!) We need to get you to the hospital," I said as I helped her down the tree.

"It's… okay. Really! Nothing a dimate can't fix."

When we stood on solid ground, she pulled the shard out of her shoulder with a scream and blood gushed out profusely. With a shaky hand, she removed the remaining pieces of the shard from her wound to avoid any infection. Then, she let off a grave grimace as she opened up a wrist screen that's similar to mine and released a dimate. A small, green canister appeared a few inches away from her face and I stared at it amusingly as it descended slowly to the ground. I shook myself into reality and realized that she hasn't picked it up yet. I looked around and found her on the ground, half fainting from the loss of blood.

"Oh no! N—need help?" I asked fearfully.

"N—no. I—I'm f—fine," she reassured.

I picked up the container anyway and handed it to her. Her hand is still shaky.

"How does this work?" I asked.

Weakly, she replied, "Y—you rub… s—some of that on… the cut… and it sh—should heal..."

I quickly applied the creamy dimate on her wound and it healed with smoke coming out of it, but the process hurt her some more. She let off one last scream. All that remained of the injury were the trails of blood that trickled from the wound and a slight scar.

"Are you okay now?"

"Yes… Thank… you…"

"Hey! Don't pass out on me! HEY!" It's too late. She slumped to the ground lifelessly. I turned to Bana, "Now what?"

"Well, we can't just leave her here."

"I know. And besides, he could still be on our trail. Let's make this quick." I picked her up and sprinted as fast as I could to the lab.

Luckily, we didn't run into my brothers or my cousins on the way back. People were scrambling to and from the crash site. Some gave me frightened looks as we passed by. I began to feel edgy and ran faster. We finally got back, but the warp pad is unlocked. Are they home? I teleported with high hopes and there she was.

"Elenor!" I called out, nearly dropping the girl.

"Draco!" She rushed to me, but stopped shortly when she saw what I had in my arms.

"Where were you guys? I was worried about you two!" I asked.

"We decided to get a little deeper into our mission. We could have arrived sooner, but we ran into a few obstacles. We are okay though. Who is she?" I didn't like how she asked that.

"Uh… I don't know exactly. I ran into her when I was trying to run from my brother."

"Your brother?"

"It's a long story. Anyway, circumstances got worse and she got cut up pretty badly." That was an understatement. "But, I healed her with a dimate. That's when she passed out."

"That is it?"

"Uh… yeah." Then, there was another long silence. But, this one is different. The atmosphere felt odd. I was expecting Elenor to be all over me, but she isn't. Instead, she seems a little… upset. "So… uh… Elenor, where can I put her?"

"You can bring her to Dr. Montague's room. He has the only bed in the lab. For the meantime, I will report to Dr. Montague about the situation. I will join you later."

"Okay." Could she be jealous?

Bana and I sat by the girl's side, waiting for her to wake up. I was out on a rescue mission and ended up rescuing someone else. I still have to repay her, though. Now, my next problem is how will I get the money for a new car? I don't know much about money, but I'll do whatever I can to repay my debt.

I seriously got to stop worrying too much. I probably will end up frying a circuit or something. From now on, I'll worry less. Yeah, right! Easier said than done, Draco. Hmm… why do I still call myself Draco? Things rub on me and I get used to it. Oh, well. Speaking of rub, this girl is seriously experienced in whatever she does. Is she a hunter or military? I am amazed, disgusted even, by how she handles herself. However, if you can use dimate on external wounds, what if you have a wound on the inside? Then again, could it be possible to have a cut on the inside with the outside untouched? Also, if you have a cut inside, do you take it orally? I guess so, because I already saw how it works with her.

"Beautiful, isn't she?" Bana said out of nowhere.

"What the…. That was out of the blue!" I yelled.

"Well? Isn't she?" he insisted.

"Yeah…. I—I mean, no! What the hell are you trying to do?"

He starts laughing, "I'm just messing with you. You _do _worry too much."

"Stop screwing with me, damn it!" He continues laughing. I'm done arguing. I backed down in defeat. "I seriously got to hang out with other people. You people enjoy toying with me so much."

"You know why?"

"Hmm?" I replied dully.

"It's because you worry too much."

"… That's right… I do." I cheered up a little and said, "Oh well! What can I do? I can't help it!"

"Hee hee! I like your optimism."

"Yup! I'm a happy-go-lucky guy… uh… somewhat."

The door opened. Dr. Montague and Elenor entered the room, but Doc is the only one who's ecstatic about my return. Something is up with Elenor. It could be about the girl. All I have to do is explain everything to her. Easy as that… I hope.

Then Doc said, "Ah! Draco! So you decided to stay with us?"

"Yes. But, that'll never change anything about what I feel about you."

"I see. Now, since you've decided to stay, we'll let you in our mission."

"Seriously?"

"Of course. After all, you are part of the team you know. So here's what happened." His usual broad smile diminished again. "I've been observing Elenor for a long time now and it seems that she gets lonely from time to time. I knew I couldn't talk with her because of all the work I put up with. I felt sorry for her and decided to surprise her with a 'sister'. I imagined how happy she'd be to have someone to talk to.

"First, I made the life source that corresponds through every android's body, which gives them the life-like characteristics that humans have, which basically is like a heart. Not the kind that pumps blood, but the kind that makes us organic life forms feel. Without this, they're just mindless military drones. Poor fools…. (Ehem!)

"For a long time, I kept it in a clear capsule in the lab while I worked on the body. Good parts are hard to come by. The warm glow from the source was brilliant and it reminded me why I got involved in high tech research in the first place. Yes… Those were the good old days…. Anyway, although the life source is kept in a capsule and looks like a floating fireball, it _does _feel. The sources can hear, see, smell, and even feel their surroundings. As I thought about this, it made me produce a body quicker, just a prototype until I finish the real body. From there, I'll transfer the life source into the new body.

"After a long, five years of hard work and aggravating insomnia, I finally finished the prototype and installed the life source. Then, I gave a name to my ultimate project for Elenor, Ult. For a while, Ult and Elenor got along really well. They talked to each other about anything and they looked very happy, especially Elenor. But after watching them for so long, I began to occasionally see a slight sadness in Ult. I see it briefly, but sometimes it's hard to tell because I can't detect it as well as androids do.

"I wondered why she was acting this way and began my investigation. After some elaborate brainstorming, I concluded that her unhappiness originated from her confinement in the capsule. Because Ult can feel emotions even in life source form, she felt deprived and constricted. I confronted her lightly one night about this and the only word I got out of her was, 'freedom.' A few moments after, she ran away without a word to Elenor or to me. Nothing! Not even a letter! Frantically, we prepared for our search for my baby. For days, we've been out there, still no luck. Because of the incident on Ragol, it's been hectic searching for Ult. Later, I gave up searching and it devastated Elenor."

"Hold on!" I interrupted. I looked at it from a logical point of view. If he took five years to complete me and it was after the explosion, then he must have worked on both Ult and me. "So, what you're telling me is that you worked on Ult and me at the same time at one point?"

"That is correct," he said, still smile-less. "It was when you were half completed when Ult decided to run away. Did a good job at that too."

"Wow… That explains why it took you so long to build me."

"I guess that part isn't confidential anymore. Well, at least you figured it out on your own." There are so many things that are left unsolved. As soon as I figure out one thing, another mystery uncovers itself. Why am I alive? I should've been left dead on Ragol. I think I'm going to lose myself one of these days.

I see this mission is more than just a mission. It's more of a father/daughter conflict. In a way, we are a family. So that makes Dr. Montague the father and his creations his babies. Then if that's the case, I'm Elenor and Ult's brother and it's up to me to take care of my sisters. "So now, you began searching again?"

"Yes. Few moments after we revived you, we received a message from the principal that more gades were going crazy again. That's when we spotted her."

"Ult?"

"Mmm-hmm. She is now part of the gades and it disheartened us, Elenor especially. Ult is being used by a notorious WORKS member named Sakon."

"Why does that name sound so familiar?"

"Is it because he's well known by hunters, military, and civilians alike?"

"No. That's not it."

"Hmm… Anyway, Elenor and I haven't heard from WORKS for a long time since the accident in the plaza."

"What happened?"

"We suspected that Sakon was going to plant a bomb somewhere in the lower plaza. Our suspicions were correct. We sought and intervened, but the action nearly cost us our lives. One of his minions was willing to commit suicide and ran at us with the bomb. We noticed when it was almost too late. Since then, we haven't heard from them. Lately, there were bank robberies with very few evidence. We're assuming that Sakon's last action cost him a lot of money. Now, WORKS needs more money to carry out more devious plans. The next place we're thinking of is the tournament coming sometime next week."

"Wow! I'd love to be in one of those."

"Oh, you will."

"YES!"

"Basically, you make a team with a maximum of four and go up against other teams. The prize is 250,000 mesetas to each team member."

"Count me in!"

We took another long silence to think over our plans and, for me, how Sakon ties with me.

"Mmm… ugh… W—where am I?" the girl asked me as she woke up.

"You are in Dr. Montague's home/lab," I replied.

"_The_ Dr. Jean Carlo Montague?"

"Uh… yeah…"

Then, she leaped out of bed in a jolt and darted to Doc, who regained his usual smile. She got all over him like a crazed fan at a concert.

"Wow! Are you really Dr. Montague? Funny. I thought you'd be a little taller, but you're still really cute! Whoa… head rush. Anyway, what-are-your-newest-inventions? How-rich-are-you? Do-you-have-a-wife-or-a-girlfriend? Oh please! Can-I-have-your-autograph? Oh, I'm-such-a-huge-fan!"

"Calm down there," Doc laughed, "Of course you can have my autograph." Then, the girl pulled an autograph book out of her CS. The pen carried with her has a very sophisticated design. It's gold and has an appealing fire design engraved on the cap of the pen, but there is a distinct black marking somewhere on the tip of the cap. She handed the book and pen to Doc and he signed it. She squealed with joy when she got it back. "I'm glad you're happy. So young miss, what is your name?"

"Oh! M—my name? I'm Sue." She started to blush. "Pleasure to meet you, Dr. Montague," she said with a deep bow.

"Oh, the pleasure is all mine," he said as he held her hand and kissed it. "But please, call me Carlo." Pretty smooth with the ladies, are we? Sue now blushed furiously and let off obnoxious giggles. Doc went on smooth talking her. "You blush so beautifully like a cherry blossom in the spring."

"Why… thank you!" she replies with a broad smile. She looks a little redder than a cherry blossom.

I caught Elenor watching me gaze at them. Just when I was going to pull her aside to have a talk with her, she left. Is she really jealous? Our Elenor? All I know is, things are going to be a little awkward in her room. I couldn't risk it, so I'll just sleep in the simulation room.

After a long while, Sue reluctantly went home. It was getting late and I could see that Dr. Montague is getting tired. They had a long conversation and I have to say that it's interesting. It turns out that Sue was part of a notorious group called the _Black Paper_. From what I remember, these people would steal valuable items by any means, and what I mean by any, I mean _any_. She was disgusted by how they operate and barely left alive. To make sure that their operation still remains secret, they attempted to kill her. She made it out alive, obviously, and to get back at them, she stole all of their money from their secret cache. I'll try not to make her mad or who knows what will happen to us.

It's time to sleep and everyone went to their places. Dr. Montague is in his room, Elenor in hers, and Bana in the MAG room. As for me, I slept in the simulation terminal. Again, I felt my chest.

* * *

Ooh! Tension! Well yeah, if any of you pick up on Elenor's word use, tell me. Namely, it's just about the squished version of two words. Gyah... my brain is dead right now. Anyway, yeah... if you come across Elenor saying "it's" or "they'll" or something like that, tell me. She's not supposed to say that. Yup yup! It'll be a sort of game for you guys. From here on, I'll try to put at most one slip-up so keep an eye out! What's the prize? Hmm... just... some praise from moi? Heh heh... Anyway, catch y'all in the flip side. Payce! 


	7. Day 6: Drama

Day 6! And yet... still waiting on reviewers. C'MON PEOPLE! READ MEH! And so... the chapters are beginning to drag out longer. Well, I expected this story to be more novel-ish, so that's expected.

**_Disclaimer..._**

I do not own PSO (but I would like to). And for those people who are bugged about how PSO is depicted in my story, I'm sorry! Just sit tight and go with the flow.

_**

* * *

Day 6: Drama **_

"_FAMI! YAY!"_

"_There! Are you happy now?"_

"_Yeah."_

"_Why do you like that so much anyway?"_

"_It represents my family. You see the chain? That's from my dad. The three rings are from my mom. And the rings represent my brothers and me. See, the two smaller rings represent my little brothers and the biggest one represents me. Basically, I'm the referee when it comes to sibling quarrels."_

"_Oh. I see. That's cool. And you might want to watch out for that."_

"_Watch out for what?"_

Then, I awoke with a start. Someone dragged me onto the simulation deck and sent a simulant at me. Everything started out like before, but the figure had a gladius this time. From what I remember, gladiuses are one of the strongest weapons in the saber class, so I'm in for a serious battle.

I released Gae Bolg from my CS and prepared for battle. For some reason, he just stood there, so I charged at him to see what he's up to. Just when I was about to strike him, he turned off his gladius and threw the hilt at my face. The impact made me stagger and I nearly dropped my prized partisan. I regained footing and looked for my enemy, but couldn't find him. I had a feeling that he could be airborne. I look up and there he is. I blocked his attack just in time, butreceived a kick in the face, which sent me staggering again, but this time, I'm ready. I looked for an opening in my opponent's next attack. He charged at me, I ducked his attack, struck him on the right side of his stomach with my left elbow, and finished with a blow on his sternum with the hilt of my weapon. The impact sent him sliding backwards a little, but he still kept his balance.

We went at it for a long time. On the last set of moves, the figure charged while I was on my back. I rolled away when it was almost too late and I spun around for another strike. He jumped back in time and charged at me again, but I stood my ground, waiting for the right time to strike. I was getting ready to block the next attack and push him to lose his balance when he suddenly changed direction and circled behind me. Before he could even stab me, I lifted Gae Bolg over my head to see if I could hit him while he was behind me, but he blocked my attack. He kicked me in the small of my back so hard that it made me roll forward, but I quickly recovered and spun around for another swing unexpectedly, hoping that I'd get him. It succeeded. I caught him off guard when he charged at me again and he flew sideways and rolled on the floor like a rag doll. He struggled to stand up and we bowed to each other; the simulation is, once again, over. I loved the morning warm-up so much that I was still fired up.

I heard someone warp and I assumed that it was Elenor to congratulate me again.

For some reason, I put my hand on my chest again. Something is missing there. I know it and I think my dream this morning has to do something about it.

She hugged me from behind. "That's so awesome!" she said.

"See! I can take on anyone, no matter the circumstances," I said as I turned around. "SUE! Where's Elenor?"

Sue says, "She decided not to come and wanted to talk to your MAG in the MAG room."

I found it a little odd, but went on anyway. "Uh… okay. Why are you here?" I asked while we exited the simulation room.

"Oh! Dr. Montague invited me to come here while you were sleeping. I decided to have a little fun and dragged your body on the simulation deck."

"That was you?" I snapped.

"Yeah. And I have to say, I'm impressed with your skill." She said that last line a little seductively.

"Uh… thanks. So, how's your shoulder doing?" I asked as I took a quick glance around. I noticed that Dr. Montague isn't even here.

"Never been better. Oh! And I forgot to thank you yesterday for rescuing me, even if you _did_ kill my car."

"Eh-heh-heh… I'm so terribly sorry! I'll repay you! Honest!" I said with a deep bow.

"Mmm… You better! Or else I'll cut you to li… ttle pie… ces." She said as she fondled my chest. Why is she acting this way? Isn't she into Doc? I guess I'll play along and see where this is going. "I'll stick around in case you decide to run from me." Not exactly what I had in mind, but it still is just as I thought.

"I guess you'll want to live here instead?" I threw in sarcastically.

"Oh! That would be a great idea! I'll ask Dr. Montague if that's okay."

"C'mon! I was only joking!"

"Am I not worthy to live here? Is that what you're saying?"

"U—uh… no! I mean—,"

"Do you find me intimidating?" She got uncomfortably close.

I backed away, "Y—yes. Er… NO! I mean—,"

"Oh! What's wrong? Is my witto savior a witto scared?" She said as she forcefully put her arms around me.

"No! Just leave me alone!" I said, as I broke free of her grip and walked away.

"Is it about that girl android?" I froze. I wanted to say something, but for some reason, I can't get anything out. "You don't like us?" she said with a pout.

"I—I uh… Don't… UGH! WHY DO YOU PEOPLE SCREW WITH ME SO MUCH?"

"Jeez! You don't have to yell! It's just a straight answer. If you would go out with either of us, who would it be?" she asked as she closed in again.

"I—I—I." I want to run, but I can't. She cornered me with no chance of escape.

Then she gasps, "You're gay, aren't you?"

"WHAT THE— Hell no!" Why did it come to that? Actually, there's something that's bugging me a little. I'll recollect my thoughts later.

"Then who is it? Me," she points to her left, "or her?"

I looked at the direction she pointed and there she is. Elenor stood there transfixed on us. Bana joined in shortly.

I stood against the wall with Sue's breasts pressed against my chest. I don't know how to react in a situation like this. Sue stared straight at me with her hazel eyes as if prying into my soul.

"So?" she continued, "Who is it?"

"Her..."

"There you go, Elenor. You heard it from him. There's nothing between us whatsoever."

"Elenor? But… why…"

"I am sorry, Draco," Elenor said apologetically, "since I saw you with Sue yesterday, I have been feeling a bit strange. The sight of you with another girl hurt me deeply. It feels as though my heart twisted. Is this how jealousy feels?"

"Jealousy?" I get it now.

"I asked Sue how you two met. But, I didn't believe any word she said. She promised to show me there is not a thing between you two and now I know that you brought her here just to save her. You are so noble."

"But, you should've went to me. I could've told you that!"

"I am sorry! I panicked." So, androids have emotions. But still, is it based on real bona fide emotion and feelings or just ones and zeros?

"O…kay. I think I'll leave you two alone," Sue said as she sneaks out the warp pad. Bana did likewise to the MAG room.

"So instead, you went to some complete stranger for answers," I retorted.

"Who else am I supposed to turn to?" Elenor cried.

"Bana! He went with me to look for you, remember? And what if she lied?" No answer came from Elenor. "I thought you were better than that," I said as I turned to leave. She ran and put her arms around me again. "Elenor let me go." She didn't answer. "Let me go, Elenor." She still held on to me for dear life.

"I am sorry, Draco," she sobbed, "I panicked!"

"I need some time by myself to clear my mind," I said calmly. "I just need to cool down, that's all." She hesitated, but she didrelease me.

I strolled through Pioneer 2 for another few hours trying to clear my mind. I'm such a butt hole. Elenor's been going through a lot of stress since I awoke. I think it was better if I stayed down. There's seriously a lot of drama going on here. Now that I think of it, the whole ordeal today would be funny if it happened to someone else.

I turned around a corner when someone spoke, "Still mad?"

"Oh… Sue. No. Not really," I replied with a sigh.

"She really cares for you, you know?"

"I know. I care for her too. I just can't stand being set up like that."

"I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable."

"Actually, I'm sorry you got tangled up in our mess." Then,I just remembered what bugged me earlier. Sue was a member of Black Paper. Everyone in a group has a certain specialty, right? "You're pretty good at interrogation."

"Oh? Ran into one of my former colleagues?"

"Hmm… I guess this observation thing is paying off."

"What observation thing?"

"My MAG told me about it."

"Oh! Which reminds me, how can you talk to your MAG like that? Is it an android thing? Actually, let's bring this conversation to that café."

"Sure."

We headed to the café she suggested.

"By the way, I don't know your name."

"It's Draco."

"Weird name for an android."

"What's so weird about it?"

She just swayed away from the question and kept silent. We arrived at Ukyo's, the name of the café, and found ourselves a seat.

"So, how can you talk to MAGs?"

"I don't know. I'm not even sure it's a robotic function."

Then the waiter approached us and asked what we wanted. Sue asked for a cup of coffee and a club sandwich and I declined politely. The waiter suggested oil shakes. I didn't know they made those. I thought about it out loud and the waiter looked at me strangely as he left. I looked at Sue and she alsogave me the same look.

"What?" I asked.

"What did you mean by that?"

"Oh! That's right! You don't know much about me. I used to be a human."

"WHAT? You're kiddin'!"

"Nope. I'm dead serious."

Skeptically, she continues, "So, how does it feel to be an android?"

"I'm not really an android. More of a cyborg. There's a difference."

With a flat tone she replies, "You don't have to get all technical on me."

"Sorry. Anyway, an android is a robot with human-like characteristics and cyborgs are pretty much the other way around. Anyway, being robotic isn't at all different. There are things that I can do that humans can't and vice-versa. We may be stronger, but we still have our weaknesses."

"Stronger? Wanna bet who's stronger?"

"Uh… I'll pass." Then, I explained how I got into my current state. Somewhere in between, the waiter came by with Sue's order and asked me once more if I need anything. I still declined politely.

I finished my story and Sue replied after a long pause of astonishment, "Wow! That Dr. Montague is really amazing. Do you think he's married or something?"

"Er… no. I don't think so. Don't tell me you're trying to hook up with him, are you?" She starts giggling. "I'm assuming that you're using me to get to him."

"Oh, please? That would be nice. If you do that, you don't have to get me a new car."

"I'll take my chances with the car."

She glares at me and says, "C'mon!"

"Didn't you listen to me? I'm tired of being used and all that crap!"

"Oh, but please! Just this once?" Then, she looked at me with one of those puppy-eyed looks.

"Wha…" She's still doing it. "But…" The more I resist, the deeper the look. "Okay! Fine! Then, will you get off my back?" I barked.

"Sure, thing." She replied with a huge smile.

"Ugh…. Waiter? I think I'll have that shake."

Well, it can't get any worse than this. The first thing I'll have to do when I get back is apologize to Elenor for putting her through so much stress and clue her in on Sue's plan to win Dr. Montague's heart. Actually, I think I'm going to like this. At least, I'm not the one who's getting set up.

Sue and I were almost home when I blacked out all of a sudden. What happened? Did I black out from a malfunction? Whatever happened, this can't be good. I wonder what happened to Sue. Did she bring me home? Did sheturn onme? Anyway, during my unconsciousness, I had another vision. This wasn't pleasant though. I just realized that these visions are actually dreams. Nevertheless, the dream is disturbing. Then again, Dr. Montague is capable of doing anything. I shudder at the thought.

_My dream, or whatever it was, showed me in my flesh and I was lying on an operating table. It was more of a third person kind of dream. All I saw around me was an eerie darkness. Then out of nowhere, a huge tube covered my face. One by one, smaller tubes attached to the rest of my body and lifted me off the table, which disappeared, to get the backside. Soon, you couldn't see a speck of my body. It was covered in all the organic looking tubes. For a while, I hovered there with all those tubes on my body. I wanted to move, but I couldn't. I tried screaming... still I couldn't. I remained lifeless in mid-air. Then, the tubes abruptly pulled away, ripping my skin from my body, sending bloody chunks flying in every direction. All that remain is my skinless, bloody body, which hung by the first tube that attached to my head._

I woke screaming.

"What in the…?" someone said with a start, "Who turned him on?"

I still continued screaming.

"Someone shut him up!" the voice continued.

"I can't," someone else, replied, "his switch is already off."

Then, I calmed down. How _is_ it that I can still function with my switch off? I feel different.

"How is that possible?" the first voice said.

I took a look around. The room I am in has a good view of Pioneer 2 through a huge window. I looked around some more. Ness? Reno? My youngest brother, Ness, was backed into the wall with a frightened look. He wore the gray armor like Bana said. My brother, Reno, sat calmly in a chair with the Gae Bolg on his lap. His armor fits the description too, but that necklace looks very familiar. Fami!

"Where am I?" I asked.

"Who are you?" Reno asked back.

"I am Ro…" then I stopped myself. Who knows what'll happen if I say my real name. "I am Draco."

"Draco what?"

"Just Draco. Where is Sue?" I asked with a groan.

Reno ignored the question and asked, "Where did you get this?" gesturing to the prized lance.

I quickly thought of a lie, "I—I got it from… a friend—"

"Sue?"

"Uh… yes! She said she found it and gave it to me because… because…"

"Because what?"

"Because she isn't accustomed to partisan type weapons."

"That's all?"

"Y—yes. That's all."

"Something tells me there's more to that."

"Truly! That's all! I swear." He has gotten very intimidating.

Reno stood and walked briskly towards me. I backed down in fear and he held the blade to my neck.

"You _are_ hiding something."

"N—no, I'm not." After my reply, he pressed a little harder on my neck.

"This weapon is a hot item. Anyone would love to get their hands on one of these. What is the truth? TELL ME!"

I didn't know what to do and blurted the first thing that popped into my head, "STOP IT, RENO!" He backed off bewildered. I flinched by his action.

"W—what is this? How do you know my name?"

I didn't know how to react. It looked as though that time froze for a while. Then, I'm wondering why no one should know his name.

Ness began to walk towards me, as if oblivious as to what was going on. Now, I'm confused. Why is he so calm all of a sudden? Shouldn't he be cautious around me? He held out his hand to pull me up.

"Big bro, I don't think he'll do us any harm," he said.

Reno stood quietly for a while and finally succumbed to Ness' suggestion. I took Ness' hand and he helped me up.

"Why do you trust me? I could jump you right about now," I said.

"Here's the thing, you didn't. Why do I trust you? I don't… yet. Plus, I don't think you'll have the chance to even try killing either of us."

"Why?"

"When my brother put you at the tip of the Gae Bolg, you looked scared. Fear isn't the best way to go, you know."

"Sometimes, it can't be helped," someone said. I looked to my left and there is Kenneth. He looks so mature now! He still has long hair, which he braids now. He wore long blue robes, black, fingered gloves, and a blue, wide headband with an interesting design that partially concealed his eyes. At my astonishment, I called out his name unintentionally. "Oh? Already introduced me, Conners?" Reno stood disorientated again. "Hello? Coral to Conners! What's wrong? I've never seen you this way before."

"Who… are… you?" Reno asked me.

I paused for a while to think of another way to stall, hoping to find a way out, but I found none. I closed my eyes and finally replied with, "Know anyone who goes by Roland Conners?" Everyone froze. They look like they aren't breathing either.

"… It… can't… be…"

"Bigger brother?" Ness questioned.

It's painful to lose someone dear to you; memories are left behind. As long as you remember, that someone will live on. But, finding what is supposed to be gone can strike pretty much anyone dumbfounded. It givesthem mixed messages andthey don't know how to react. It leavesthem overwhelmed and confused, paralyzed even.

"Yes, Reno, Ness, Ken. I'm back. I missed you guys so much."

"Rolly?" Ken said.

"Umm... Yeah."

I'm not Rolly anymore. It's Draco.

Reno dropped the Gae Bolg and held me by the arms. The ring from the necklace embraced my eardrums. "Are you serious? Just to make sure, what was it that we called Ken?"

"The goody-goody," I replied with a huge smile. I don't know if they can see it though. It sucks to be a cyborg.

Then everyone cried, "ROLLY!" We made a group hug. It's good to have family back. I just wish they'd stop calling me that.

After a few moments of reminiscing, Ness interrupted, "Wait-wait-wait! Rol, how did you get like this?"

"Oh no…" I sighed, "Not again. It's a long story. I know a café we can go to."

As we sat in my newfound hangout spot, I told them my story from where we parted and they did likewise. I learned that Auntie Melissa committed suicide after the incident on Ragol. From what I remember, she's struggling with life even before the incident. I guess the matter isn't significant to us kids, but it is for her. Her husband died in an accident. Mom and Dad was never heard from after the explosion. Auntie Mel's ex is delusional with this sick and twisted world he's trying to make for her. In the end, she suffered so much and couldn't take it anymore, ending her life at a bridge. It left the Ken and the others without a guardian. Before her death, she left a letter to Reno, Ness, Ken, and Silvia, telling them to head to the Department of Pioneer 2 Officials so they can house Reno, Ness, and Ken with a hunter until Ken turned eighteen. From there, Ken could decide to keep the others under the custody of the hunter or live in a house of his own with the others accompanying him. Ken chose to live in his own house with the three. Also, the principal opened the _Hunter's Guild_ _Academy _to all ages. Since then, Reno and the others worked diligently to become the best hunters. After the academy, everyone went by aliases. Reno is called _Shadow_ because he's the stealthiest, Ken is _Ice_ because he specializes in freezing techniques, and Ness is _Lumin_ because he's energetic in battle.

During the academy, Silvia made some very close friends. She lives with them now, so there will be rare occasions that we see each other. She doesn't go by an alias because she wants to be a little different. That's respectable. But according to the three, she said aliases were stupid.

Many children became orphans from the explosion and applied to be either a hunter or the military. Poor kids. I can imagine friendships were torn apart from this decision. Kids are meant to have fun and never care about bloodshed.

I almost forgot about Sue.

"Where is Sue?" I asked my family.

"Who?" Ken asked back.

"Sue. The girl I was with when you jumped me?"

"Oh!" they all replied.

"Don't worry about her," Ken continued, "When we kidnapped you, we let her go. We were lucky that Ness was stealthy enough to sneak up behind her while she was focused on us." He paused to take a sip from his cup. "Held her at blade point."

"Wow…."

"Yeah! I'm so awesome!" Ness bragged. "But, I'm not as stealthy as Reno."

"I mean, wow… she'd be pissed. Ha ha ha! You've grown so much. Too bad Mom, Dad, and Auntie Mel aren't here to see you guys. They would be so proud of you. With the exception of Ness."

"What? Why?"

"You're still our little baby," I joked.

"Oh, shut up!" he snapped.

After a few more laughs and reminiscing, we left the café when we were attacked. People scattered everywhere in panic.

"What the hell happened? Where'd that shot come from?" Reno yelled.

Another bolt flew at us.

"Nice way to spend time with family," I scoffed.

"Whoever it is, they need some glasses," Ness replied.

"Watch out!" I cried as another one flew at us. Where is the enemy? Could it be Sue coming to rescue me?

"Hey, Rol!" Reno said.

"What?"

"You might need these. And, I think Fami would be sad that you forgot it." He tossed the Gae Bolg and Fami to me.

"Fami!" I cried with glee as I caught Fami and the lance. I almost forgot my little friend. No wonder I felt like I was missing something. Now, Fami is backwith me."I missed you, buddy." It replies back with a happy ring. (Ring, ring!) I'm just wondering how Reno managed to get it. My memories just don't add up.

Then, I looked at the Gae Bolg and back to Reno, "Why me?"

"Basically, you had it longer than all of us."

Another shot flew at us. Still, it misses.

"But, that doesn't mean I have the experience."

"You don't, yet. Through time, you'll get better." Whoever is shooting at us is getting a little better. "Damn! This is getting on my nerves. Ice! Do your thing."

"Sure thing, Shadow," Ken replied.

What is Ken doing? Another bolt flew at us and Ken deliberately threw himself in front of the path. He held out his hand and deflected the shot. It's probably a shield. The question is, what kind?

"The enemy is eleven o'clock. Elevated, obviously."

"How high?" Reno asked as another flew at us. Ken deflected it again.

"Approximately thirty degrees."

"I'm on it." Reno dashed out somewhere.

"What do we do now… Lumin is it?" I asked.

"You got it right. Anyway… ugh… We create a diversion for the perpetrator," Ness replies as he dodges another bullet.

"How?" (Ring, ring?)

"Like this." Ness picks up random objects and throws it in the general location of the shot.

"What good will that do?"

"You never know. I might hit the guy and make the big bro go nuts."

"I see." Then, we all created diversions. Ness threw random objects, Ken casts _barta _techniques in random directions, I waved my hands like a lunatic, and Fami rang furiously. (RING, RING!) All that waving made me tired all of a sudden.

Another shot was fired, but this one was way off.

"What's that about?" I asked.

"We're done. And, I was hoping I'd get him." Ness marched back to their home.

"Look what I found, boys," Reno called to us. We look at him. He dragged a guy who wore black clothing all over. He seriously didn't want to be seen. Reno threw him in front of us and we formed a circle to prevent him from running. "What are your motives and who are you working for?" The guy didn't answer. "WHO ARE YOU WORKING FOR?" The guy still won't answer. Apparently, Reno grew impatient and held a gun with a suppressor to his head. "Last warning, pal."

I said more to myself than out loud, "Reno, you're not going to…."

I tried to sway Reno from killing him. I guess losing so many people you care about does that to you. It's scary to think that my own brother isn't disturbed by taking a life.

Finally, the guy answered, "A wall that needs to be taken down."

"What do you mean by that?" Reno retorted.

"Just a wall that needs to be taken down."

"Don't push me if you value your life." Reno presses the button that turns on the gun. It gave a short, high-pitched hum when it activated.

"Could I have a smoke?"

We were perplexed by the sudden change of subject. The assassin still feels calm.

"Sure," Reno answered cautiously.

The assassin pulled out a cigarette. We expected him to light it up. Instead, he just bit into the tip of the bud and began to gag. He started to get convulsions and foamed at the mouth. With one last breath, he spat at Reno.

"Damn it! Wake up! Wake up!" Reno bellowed. He even beat him in the head.

"It's no good, Reno. He's gone," Ken said.

"What the hell is that?" Reno asked as he powered down his gun.

Ken examines the body and the cigarette bud. "I'm guessing it's cyanide."

"Damn! When will they quit? Who the hell keeps sending these people?"

"Hey, man. Let's go before anyone else decides to pay a visit."

We ran back to their place as fast as we could. _Just a wall that needs to be taken down_. I wonder what he meant by that. What exactly are they caught up in? And where is my compadré. I'm a little nervous. What if Sue tries to rescue me? Wouldn't that be disastrous? Speaking of the devil, there she is. Sue caught Ness by surprise and held him hostage.

"Stay back, everyone, or he gets it," she warned. "Draco, get over here."

"It's okay Sue," I said, "They're with me."

"What are you talking about? Get over here!"

"SUE! It's okay! Let him go!"

After a long pause, she responds, "I have no idea what you're up to, but sure." She let Ness go hesitantly. "What is this about, Draco?"

"They're family, believe it or not."

"Uh-huh. So, your 'family' jumped you and threatened to kill me if I follow?"

"Uh… yeah."

"Okay. Now, I wish that I never met you. You hang out with strange people."

I turned to Reno and whispered, "I don't think she knows that it's you who wrecked her car."

"Oh! That was hers?" Reno said out loud.

"What was mine?" Sue asked.

Frantically, I said, "Oh… uh… nothing. Um… I'll head on home now."

"Me… too." Reno swayed likewise.

It's Sue's turn to be confused, "What's going on? What did you mean by that?"

"RUN!" I yelled.

"GET BACK HERE!"

We all laughed as we chased each other back to Ken's place. I miss my childhood, so carefree. Afterwards, we gave introductions to each other in our usual hangout spot. Everyone is just as interested in her Black Paper story as I am. Although I hang out with the weirdest bunch, I'm lucky to have such people to be on my side, so to speak. If this keeps up, we might as well make our own group like the Black Paper, but we do _good_ in the name of good. We'll be so great!

It began to get late and we decided to call it a day. Ness and the other two tried to persuade me to stay with them, but I told them that I have people I have to see first. Maybe, I can reintroduce them to Doc and Elenor. Anyway, I have to get back. Elenor must be worried about me. As I strode back home, I had one perplexing question in my head. Why can I still function with my switch turned off and how did Reno get Fami? I'll ask Doc when I get there.

"Hey, guys! I'm back!" I called when I arrived.

"Oh! Draco! You startled me," Elenor said with a jump.

"Sorry."

"Are you still mad?"

"I wasn't mad to begin with. I was more embarrassed."

"Sorry."

"It's okay. Actually, I'm the one who has to apologize."

"For what?"

"Since I awoke, I've been putting you through so much stress."

"Oh, do not worry about it. I go through this every time in our quests."

"Oh! That's right. But still, I shouldn't be the one to do that to you."

"It is okay. Really. It is okay."

"Are you sure?"

She smiles and says, "Yes, I am sure. Now, stop worrying."

"I can't help it. It's my nature. By the way, where's Doc? I have something to ask him."

"He is in his room, working."

"Wanna come with me?"

"Sure. Why?"

"I don't know. Emotional support...?"

"Hee hee! Okay."

We walked together to Doc's room and I knocked on his door.

"Come in," he called. "Oh, Draco. Great timing. Oh! I see you found your necklace. I put it in your inventory for safe keeping."

"You could've told me something about it. I was going nuts about why I was putting my hand on my chest so much."

"Sorry. Through all the commotion, I forgot about it. I couldn't tell if it was _that _important to you or not. Anyway, I made a voice control system for your CS a…nd you basically know why."

"Cool."

"Could the both of you give me your wrist screens, please?" We gave him our screens and he unscrewed them open. He did some rewiring, installed the microphone, and reprogrammed the whole system, while making sure we don't lose anything we have in our CS. He gave them back when he finished. "There we go. Now, we need your CS to recognize your voice. What you do is flip your screen open and press the button that says voice recognition. You hold it for three seconds then you should hear a beep. Keep your finger on the button and say anything. The mic I installed should record the tone of your voice. Then, let go and you should hear two beeps. Then, you're set. Oh! And one more thing, you should do that in a quiet place or the mic will pick up any background noises. If your voice control system malfunctions, just use your CS like you normally would. Draco, you go first."

"Okay." I did everything Doc told me to. (Beep!) "Hello." (Beep-beep!)

"Good. Now it's your turn Elenor."

(Beep!) "Hello." (Beep-beep!)

"Okay. Now call out any item that's in your CS by saying, 'CS' then the item you need."

"CS, Gae Bolg," I called. The Gae Bolg immediately appeared before me and slowly descended onto my hands. "Very convenient."

"CS, Rappy Fan," Elenor called. The fan did the same thing.

"And when you want to return the item, just call the item again and it should automatically go into your CS. Also, the voice system can't be used to pick up items so you have to do that manually. And I'm done. What is it you need me for, Draco?"

"I need you to find out why I can function without the switch on."

"What? Is your switch still off?"

"I think so."

"Hmm… interesting."

"Anyway, I was kidnapped by my family and I was turned off. I woke up from a nightmare."

"How did you escape?" Elenor asked.

"I convinced them that I am Roland, luckily. Then, we reminisced with the old times."

"That explains why you have been gone for a long time. I thought you were mad at me."

"Like you said before, it's more of an embarrassment. Anyway, do you know why I'm still functioning, Doc?"

Doc seems deep in thought. Finally, he replies, "I don't know."

"What?"

"What I did with you is very unique from the other experiments I've done."

I winced at the "e" word.

"What's so different about me?"

"Life sources are made from compressed photon that are altered to give life to androids. You, however, are unique. I made a life source with your DNA implanted in it. The photon fused with your DNA and made you what you are today. This is probably why you still remember who you are and so on."

"So, what does that have to do with me still functioning without being turned on?"

He yawns, "Again, I don't know. I have to look into this a little more. (yawn) I'm tired. Let's get some shut eye first."

Now that I brought this up, I do feel a little strange. I noticed it when I took my family to the café, but I paid no attention. I felt... tired.

Elenor and I walked to her room and I began to feel very groggy.

"Draco, are you all right?"

"Hmm?" I yawned. (Ring, ring…)

"You do not seem yourself right now."

I yawned again, "No. Really. I'm okay."

"I think you need to charge."

"I guess so."

When we arrived Elenor's room, I felt the need to lie down. I plugged myself like I normally would, butI'm charging with a little more power. I shrugged it off then stood by the wall and fell asleep. (Ring, ring…)

* * *

Yup yup! And yeah... R&R, PEOPLE! Even just a quick hi is fine. I just need to keep track of how many people have read my story so far. Feedback is nice too. And noticed any oopses with Elenor's quotes? I found at least one. Heh heh... It might be obvious though. Well, catch y'all later. 


	8. Back in the day: Reminisce

Well anyway, I just thought about Roland's past so basically, it's just stalling for time, I guess. Then again, it's just causing me more work. Gyah... Oh well... On to the story!

**_Disclaimer_**

Well, you know what goes here. I do not own PSO... blah blah blah!

_**

* * *

Back in the day: Reminisce **_

I was Roland Conners. I _had_ my cyan colored hair spiked and I always had my favorite necklace around my neck that I've had since my youngest brother was born. It's made of a chain and on it are three rings, with the biggest one between two same-sized smaller ones. Nothing too fancy, but it is very important to me.

I called it Fami. The chain was from my father, the rings from my mother, and the three rings represented my brothers and I, which is the reason why I called it Fami. It represents my family. I remember how mad I'd get when I'd lose it. I was throwing fits everywhere. Now that I look back on it, it's pretty funny seeing me all riled up over something that has "no specific value". However, it may not be a value to anyone, but it is to me.

My father's name is Alexander and my mother's name is Meilyn. I was sixteen when my brothers and I found out that our parents were chosen along with hundreds of other hunters to scale a planet called Ragol. I was excited to know that we were finally going to land on a planet. No more artificial air, no more artificial food…. I knew we were in for some adventure. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to go and that left us disheartened. Mom and Dad said it's strictly hunter business. We obviously didn't like the idea.

My brothers and I stood by our parents' doorway as they packed up, trying to convince them to sneak us in, but they still refused to take us along. My youngest brother, Ness, who was eight years old at the time and had brown-colored hair that went to his chin, tried to hold back his tears. The second of us three, Reno, who was thirteen and has cyan-colored hair that always looks as though he just woke up, comforted my little brother by playing their favorite video game together. The little one calmed down a bit.

We hugged and said our good-byes by the warp pad.

"Now you be good to your aunt now, okay boys?" Mom said. Reno and I got the cyan-colored hair trait from our mother. Reno has red irises from our father and I got the amber colored irises from our mother.

"Okay, Mama," we replied.

"And Rolly?"

"Yes, Mama?"

"Keep a close eye on those two."

"'Kay," I replied.

"Now, I'm warning you three. Don't chase after us, okay? Stay with your aunt."

We replied, "Okay."

"Time to go, Hon!" Dad called from the warp pad. Ness got the brown-colored hair trait from our father. He also has amber-colored eyes.

"Do we have everything?"

"I think so. Oh my! Look at the time, Mei!"

"Wow! We're late! We better hurry, Xander!"

Then, we said one last good-bye to each other and we watched our parents warp outside and disappeared with one last wave. As we prepared to head to our cousin's house, I saw my dad's casecontaininghis signature weapon lying by the warp pad. I have to return it to him. I don't know what will ever happen to my parents if they don't have it with them. With that in mind, I told my brothers to go ahead without me and I'll catch up with them soon. Ness still had signs of sadness, but this time, it's about the safety of our parents. I patted him on the head and reassured that we'll see Mom and Dad again. After that, we parted ways. Fami rang as I ran. (Ring, ring.)

The amount of people I saw as I entered the hanger caught me off guard. How am I supposed to find my parents now? Then, I heard an announcement on the intercom saying that they're now boarding. The hunters automatically formed lines in front of the check-in points and among the ones on the front are my parents. They were actually never late for anything. They only say that to get us moving so we could get wherever we're going earlier and never have to worry about lines. However, they always seem to forget something.

I dashed to them, but they already passed the gate. I tried to pass through, but a guard caught me halfway.

"Hey, kid!" the guard grunted, "You're not allowed through there!"

"But I—," I attempted to explain my situation, but he cut me off.

"Security! Take this boy away."

"B—but… but…" It's too late. They already flung me out of the way. Fami poked me in the eye. (Ring, ring…?) I couldn't get mad at it, because I liked Fami so much.

As I got up, I heard another announcement on the intercom. "After everyone has been accounted for, we will depart for the Central Dome on planet Ragol very shortly. Thank you for boarding the _Gran Squall_." I had already left when it repeated the message in another language.

Upon arriving my cousin's house, I contemplated my next attempt to return the weapon to the rightful hands.

"What happened, Rolly?" the middle brother asked.

"I couldn't give it to Dad, Reno," I replied while playing with Fami. (Ring, ring!)

"So, what are you going to do now?" the little one asked.

"I'll try sneaking in after dinner and hopefully there'll still be some hunters in line," I said quietly, hoping a certain someone isn't listening.

"Why? What'll happen if there are no more hunters?"

"Then, I won't be able to reach Mom and Dad, Ness. They'd be already gone."

"Why not just give it to the guard at the gate, Rolly?" my cousin Kenneth whispered. He's a year older than Reno and has long dark-green hair that's pulled back in a ponytail. His eyes gleam jade-green.

"Whaaa! Don't do that!" we snapped. (_Ring, ring!_)

"How long have you been standing there, Ken?" I gasped.

"I came in at 'So, what are you going to do now?'"

"Ugh… I was hoping you wouldn't come. Knowing you, you'll probably slip up even if we _specifically_ told you to keep it quiet.

"Nuh-uh!"

"Remember when we found a dagger in the plaza, Ken?" Reno retorted, "We were going to keep it, but you ended up blurting it out to Auntie Melissa by 'accident'!"

"Oh… yeah…."

"You're too much of a goody-goody," Reno snapped. "Oh! And remember when we snuck in the—"

"Okay! Okay! I get the point. Jeez! Leave it to you guys to put me down."

Since Ken is now part of the "team," it complicated things a bit. I have to devise a plan that even ol' goody-goody Ken could make it look real.

"Okay… hmm… Now, I'll make you a part of my plan to sneak out and you probably won't know what hit you."

"But Rol," Ken retorted, "Why don't you just give it to the guard?"

"Remember whatUncle Slysaid about the hunters and the military?"

"No. Not really."

"He said that the hunters and the military don't exactly look eye to eye. Now, if I give it to them, they'll just probably steal it without caring."

"Yeah. No kidding." Reno retorted.

"Time for dinner, kids!" Auntie Melissa called out from the kitchen.

"Uh… you guys go on ahead," I called out as they left our quarters. I already have a plot thought out. "Hee hee hee…. This is great!" (Ring, ring…!)

I quickly set up the plan and joined the others with a straight face.

"Where were you?" Auntie Melissa asked.

I thought of a lie quickly and replied, "Oh, I used the bathroom."

"I hope you washed your hands."

"Yes, Auntie. I did."

"You better have! You don't want to get sick, right?"

"Yeah… we know," we replied.

"Good. Wash up afterwards too. Okay?"

"Yes, Auntie Melissa," my brothers and I replied. Our cousins replied with a "Yes, Mom."

We finished eating and now, it's just a matter of when the riot will start.

We were in our room reminiscing over the old times and commenting on Auntie Melissa's good cooking when—

"MMMOOOOOOOMMM!" yelled Kenny's younger sister, Silvia. She's as old as Reno, but still fights with her brother like a little child. She has lavender colored hair that's bobbed. Her eyes look almost as purple as her hair. I took their history together to my advantage.

"What's wrong Silvia?" Auntie Melissa asked.

"Ken took my stuffedanimal again!"

I moved the stuffed animal from her room and put it on Ken's bed because he also loved dolphins. I let Ness and Reno in my plan while Ken was distracted and told Ness to jump in after I already snuck out, thus fixing the problem and containing the peace. Then, all I have to worry about is how Reno will cover for me. He's good at that, but I'm not sure how he'll fare this time. _Don't worry. I got this down_, he said before the chaos. I just hope he does.

The fight went on and it was my chance to sneak out. I stealthily snuck passed the ruckus and to the warp pad with one hand on the case and the other holding Fami quiet. My heart pumped faster as I got closer. I finally made it and unintentionally let go of Fami to press the button to warp me outside. (Ring, ring?)

Ken screamed, "Did not!"

"Did too!"Silvia screamed back.

"Did not!"

"Did to—"

"Okay! Okay!" Auntie Melissa attempted to break the fight, yet again. That's all I heard before I teleported. I just hope Reno covered for me and did something about Fami's sudden outburst.

I arrived at the ship docks and luckily there were some hunters left. I desperately needed to find a way in and if I end up coming with them, they can ship me back to Pioneer 2. That's all.

I quickly scanned the area without being too suspicious and saw some hunters packing crates in the back of the ship. One of the guards opened up one of the crates and a quarrel between the guard and a hunter erupted. I'm assuming the guard is part of the military. He's huge! I don't think the hunter has a chance.

"Can I help you?" the hunter disdainfully asked.

"No, thank you!" The guard continued to poke through the crate.

"(EHEM!) That's my crate, you ingrate!"

"Wow! You can rhyme."

"(scoff) I'll mop the floor with your carcass when I'm through with you!"

"Ha ha ha... bring it on, scrawny!"

At that, they fought viciously and thrashed everywhere, tipping some of the crates around them. The hunter tried to activate his saber, but the guard grabbed his hand and turned it into what looked like a mix between a headlock and an arm-lock. The hunter countered by shaking the guard off balance and flipping forward and landing his back with the guard still behind him. The impact knocked the air out of the guard and left him vulnerable to another attack.

The hunter unsheathed his saber and aimed at the guard's throat, "You know what they say! 'The bigger they are… THE HARDER THEY FALL!"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Someone intervened. I was afraid that I'd witness a death. I took advantage of the situation and snuck into the opened crate. Fami almost gave my position again. (Ring… ring…) Now, I knew why the guard was interested in this crate. It was a food supply crate! If the Gran Squall were ever going to be delayed for any reason, this food would help a lot. All I need is an air hole and I'm prepared for the trip.

I sat silently on the packaged, processed food as the commotion dissolved and hoped that I wasn't seen. Apparently, no one did because they shut the crate. I frantically tested the crate to see if there's an air hole. I took a deep breath, I searched for a hole, and sure enough, there is one. I decided to celebrate by munching on some of the tasty snacks. If I got out of this crate without anyone noticing, the hunter can blame the mess on the guard.

It took only a few hours until arrival, but as the transport touched down, something fell on top and my air began to thin. I started to panic and struggled to get out. Whatever it is, it obviously gave me a challenge and, to top it off, all of the wrappers from the food I ate absorbed the pressure I was putting on them and made whatever it is that sat on top of me seem heavier than usual.

I begin screaming for help, pounding on the crate loudly, and occasionally have another go on the lid. (RING, RING!) I was desperate enough to take my father's prized weapon out ofits case and attempted to cut open the crate, but I couldn't, especially with the amount of space I have. I was going to die in a messy crate. Might as well save the money for a casket. Then, I heard voices outside and thought I was saved. The voices sound like military men.

"Wow! This place is beautiful," someone said.

"Eh? Whatever," grunted another.

"The nature, the fresh air!" pauses to breathe in, "I wish we came here sooner."

"You pansy! Snap out of it! Remember our mission?"

"Yeah, yeah. Lead the hunters into the trap then ditch 'em on the spot." Damn it! I knew this mission was too good to be true! WHY I OUGHTA—

"Good! Now…. Would you look at that! I forgot they are doing that today."

"Wow! I never expected the communications link to look like that. Beautiful."

"Ugh! Easily amused."

"Do ya want yer ass kicked?"

The floor rumbled loudly.

"What the _hell_ is that?" That didn't sound good.

"Oh damn, that's huge!"

"What the hell are you doing there? Haul ass!"

"Oh sh—"

"BRACE YOURSELVES!"

"TAKE COVER!"

I was engulfed by their conversation and forgot about my situation. All I remembered after that was a sound of a huge explosion, followed by terrifying screams, and, oddly, a blinding light.

I should've stayed. I miss everyone. But, what happened to everyone else who were on Ragol? There has to be more survivors out there somewhere. There just has to be!

* * *

Cool? Well, there might be more days like this and if anything becomes confusing, I'll make a day to clear things up. But, only if there were reviewers and stuff. Plus, college and work is taking a lot of my time and I almost never have a time to work on this. So, bear with me and sit tight. I'll get to it as soon as possible. Gyah... So, catch y'all later! See you on Day 7 if I'll ever get to it... 


End file.
